- Kim Jong Un announced the development of nuclear weapons and deepening relations with Russia
- He also stated that North Korea must make a fundamental change in its approach towards South Korea
- Pyongyang's launch of its first satellite in November increased friction on the Korean peninsula
“Based on the experience of the successful launch and operation of the first reconnaissance satellite in 2023, the mission to launch three more such satellites in 2024 has been announced to vigorously promote the development of space science and technology,” she said in a message afterward. The year-end meeting attended by the country's leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim announces the development of nuclear weapons and deepening relations with Russia
Kim said that his country has no choice but to continue developing nuclear weapons and deepen relations with other countries opposed to the United States, estimating that this includes Russia.
Kim indicated that Pyongyang rules out the possibility of unification with South Korea. In his opinion, North Korea must radically change its approach towards its southern neighbor.
Increasing tension between North and South Korea
North Korea announced in November that it had put its first spy satellite into orbit, and has since sent photos to Pyongyang of the White House, US military bases, the Pentagon and areas in South Korea identified by North Korean media as potential targets.
The launch of the satellite increased friction on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea partially suspended the agreement to ease military tensions, to which Pyongyang responded by completely withdrawing from the agreement and announcing the deployment of new types of weapons along the border.
The successful launch of the satellite was announced shortly after Kim's meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, where Putin promised Kim to help build the satellites.
According to South Korean officials, the latest test was likely conducted with technical assistance from Moscow. This, in turn, is an element of the close partnership, under which North Korea was scheduled to send millions of artillery shells to Russia.
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