SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participated in training with a new tank and even drove one himself, state media reported Thursday. His rivals South Korea and the United States have concluded their annual military exercises.
This is the third time Kim has reportedly observed military exercises since the start of the 11-day South Korea-US drills, which he views as a dry run for an invasion. This is a less provocative option than a missile test. North Korea has been increasing its launches since 2022, and this year it has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric.
At Wednesday's tank drills, Kim praised his country's latest tanks as “the world's strongest” and instructed the military to increase its “fighting spirit” and complete “preparations for war,” according to state-run Korean Central News Agency. Two of his other trainings he recently inspected were specialized in: cannon firing and Pilot training.
The tank was unveiled for the first time at a military parade in 2020, and South Korean experts say its rolling during Wednesday's training shows it is ready for deployment.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) meets with soldiers participating in a training exercise in North Korea on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, via AP)
Photos of the tank released by North Korea show it is equipped with missile launchers, a weapons system already in use by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. Yang Wook, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the new tanks could pose a threat to South Korea, but it remains to be seen whether they can be mass-produced.
North Korea's Defense Ministry made the threat last week. “Responsible military activity” This is a countermeasure to the South Korea-US military drills, which include command post training using computer simulations and 48 types of field exercises, twice as many as last spring. The United States and South Korea are expanding training exercises in retaliation for North Korea's weapons tests.
Concerns about North Korea's military preparations have increased further since Kim vowed: January speech It abolishes the country's long-standing goal of peacefully reunifying the Korean peninsula and rewrites the constitution to solidify South Korea as its “immutable main enemy.” He said the new constitution should clearly state that North Korea would annex and conquer South Korea in the event of a new war.
North Korea has been able to firmly demand the withdrawal of US forces stationed in South Korea, which is South Korea's senior state, by promoting the unification of the North and South, so Kim's move is a sign that North Korea's response goes beyond mere rhetoric. It suggests a fundamental change in southern policy. South Korean presidential officials spoke to a small group of reporters on Monday. He requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
Officials say Mr. Kim is likely to want to use his enhanced arsenal to win concessions from the United States, including widespread relief of international sanctions against North Korea. North Korea is expected to expand its nuclear testing activities and step up its bellicose rhetoric this year, with South Korea holding parliamentary elections in April and the United States holding presidential elections in November.
“The South Korea-U.S. drills are over, but North Korea is not done yet,” Yang said. “They just won't shut up… They keep talking about the war.”
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Associated Press writer Jiwon Song contributed to this report.
