00:00 North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has issued directives to ramp up military readiness,
00:08 specifically the nuclear program, citing what he perceives as aggressive posturing by the
00:13 United States.
00:15 In an ongoing Workers' Party meeting, Kim has emphasized the urgent need to accelerate
00:19 preparations for the potential conflict, though the specifics of these preparations were not
00:24 detailed by the official Korean Central News Agency in its Thursday report.
00:29 According to the KCNA, Kim has highlighted an extreme military situation on the Korean
00:34 Peninsula due to what he deemed unprecedented confrontations with the United States.
00:39 The report didn't delve into the specifics of North Korea's military plans.
00:43 This call to arms comes amid heightened tensions of collaboration between South Korea, Japan
00:47 and the United States, intensifying their political and defense alliances in response
00:52 to North Korea's series of weapon trials, which included successful missile tests and
00:56 the launch of military spy satellite.
00:59 For the unaware, Pyongyang's recent achievements also include a successful launch of a military
01:03 spy satellite, testing of an advanced Wiosong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile and cementing
01:09 nuclear power status in its constitution.
01:13 In addition, Kim, in an earlier declaration, had also dubbed 2023 as a year of "significant
01:18 transformation," hinting at upcoming victories.
01:20 Analysts are now speculating that despite global tensions, North Korea is unlikely to
01:25 deaccelerate the weapon development, possibly seeking leverage for diplomacy, especially
01:30 after the U.S. presidential elections.
01:33 Past nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States collapsed in 2019 over
01:37 disagreement concerning sanctions and relief for exchange for denuclearization steps.
01:42 The country continues to remain under significant UN Security Council sanctions due to its inaugural
01:47 nuclear test in 2006.
01:49 While bolstering global ties, Kim's interaction with Moscow have also raised concerns regarding
01:54 the potential military equipment exchanges during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
01:59 His rare visit to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin, included visits to military
02:03 bases and discussions on strategic cooperation.
02:06 The recent directives now indicate heightened tensions and military preparedness in North
02:10 Korea, with global interactions and strategic alliances taking center stage amid geopolitical
02:16 uncertainties and internal economic aspirations.
02:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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