North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says he will launch three more military spy satellites to prepare the country for war (Picture: Reuters)
North Korea will launch three new military spy satellites into space in 2024 to make itself ‘overwhelmingly’ ready for an ‘inevitable’ war.
Leader Kim Jong-un also warned he is bolstering the nation’s nuclear arsenal, building military drones and introducing modern unmanned combat equipment.
The 39-year-old lashed out at the US, claiming moves by Washington this year have been unprecedented and are making it impossible to avoid conflict, state media reported.
He made the ominous comments during a five-day ruling Workers’ Party meeting to set state goals for the new year.
‘Because of reckless moves by the enemies to invade us, it is a fait accompli that a war can break out at any time on the Korean peninsula,’ he said, according to KCNA.
‘The grave situation requires us to accelerate works to acquire overwhelming war response capabilities and thorough and perfect military readiness to suppress any types of provocations by the enemies at a stroke.’
His bleak new year predictions come after North Korea fired its first reconnaissance satellite in November.
North Korea launched the Malligyong-1 military spy satellite into orbit on November 21 this year (Picture: AP)
The Malligyong-1 military spy satellite has already photographed major US and South Korean military sites since it was sent into orbit, Mr Kim claimed.
He also ordered the military to prepare to ‘pacify the entire territory of South Korea’, including with nuclear bombs if necessary, in response to any attack.
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Mr Kim has been focusing on modernising his nuclear and missile arsenals since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with then-president Donald Trump broke down in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions on the North.
Since last year, the country’s military has test-fired more than 100 ballistic missiles, many of them nuclear-capable weapons targeting the mainland US and South Korea, in violation of UN bans.
Mr Kim laid out North Korea’s state plans at a five-day meeting this week (Picture: Reuters)
Mr Kim told the meeting that the ‘grave situation requires us to accelerate works to acquire overwhelming war response capabilities’ (Picture: Reuters)
The US and South Korea responded by expanding their military exercises and deploying US strategic assets such as bombers, aircraft carriers and a nuclear-armoured submarine.
North Korea calls the moves US-led invasion rehearsals.
South Korea’s spy agency said last week that North Korea will likely launch military provocations and cyberattacks ahead of its neighbour’s parliamentary elections in April and the US presidential election in November.
The latest warnings are somewhat at odds with Mr Kim’s plans for his very own Benidorm to ‘tempt Brits’ to visit the country.
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