North Korea strengthens navy as balloon campaign hits fifth day
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced the strengthening of the navy, marking another move by the dictator to rearm his country. For the fifth consecutive day, he is running a balloon campaign against his southern neighbor.
On Sunday, North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un announced intensified efforts to develop the country's naval potential.
During an inspection of a naval base under construction, Kim Jong Un stated that the country would soon have large ships that could only be accommodated by the new base. Reports from the state agency KCNA indicate he recently visited the O Jin U Artillery Academy, a shipyard, and an ammunition factory.
The South Korean agency Yonhap notes that these inspections took place as Pyongyang prepares for Monday's celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored by the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task, said Kim, quoted by state television KCTV.
The report cited the leader's words, noting that the location of the naval base was not disclosed but will be an area of strategic significance.
While touring the shipyard, Kim emphasized that strengthening naval forces is the most important issue in decisively defending the nation's maritime sovereignty and increasing current wartime readiness.
In a separate dispatch published by KCNA, the regime authorities also condemned a recent consultative meeting and simulated exercises on extended deterrence conducted by the United States and South Korea.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described these actions as "reckless moves of the hostile forces disturbing the regional strategic stability and increasing the possibility of a nuclear clash." The ministry added that the authorities would "continue to take practical measures to cope with the long-term nuclear confrontation with the U.S."
Relations between the Koreas are currently considered the worst in decades. North and South Korea have formally remained in a state of war for over 70 years since the armed conflict of 1950-1953 ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Balloon campaign against South Korea
On Sunday, North Korea sent another volley of balloons filled with trash toward South Korea. This current series has lasted for five consecutive days now.
Over these five consecutive days starting Wednesday, communist North Korea sent over 1,100 loads containing mainly waste paper and plastic bottles. Around 400 landed mainly in the Seoul area and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province.
The Yonhap agency notes this is already the 17th balloon volley since the campaign began. In three months, the North Korean regime has sent about 5,000 balloons. Since May, the falling loads have caused damage exceeding ₩100,000,000 ($74,000).
Pyongyang maintains that the balloon campaign is a response to balloons sent over its territory by South Korean civilian organizations containing anti-regime leaflets, as well as food, medicine, and South Korean TV shows.
The latest provocations by Kim Jong Un's regime, including calls to prepare for "a war [that] can break out anytime," have raised tensions between the Koreas. According to experts, relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are the worst in decades.
