North Korea's Kim Calls for More 'Practical, Offensive' War Deterrence

Facts

• North Korean state media reported on Tuesday that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, called for strengthening the North's war deterrence in a 'more practical and offensive' manner in response to moves it called aggressive by the US and the South.¹
• Kim's comments were made on Monday during a Central Military Commission meeting to reportedly discuss ways to 'cope with the escalating moves of the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet traitors to unleash a war of aggression.'²
• The meeting also reportedly covered North Korea's front-line attack plans, stressing the need to bolster its nuclear deterrent with 'increasing speed' and 'to prepare various military action proposals' to counteract its foes.³
• Kim's comments come as the US and South Korea have held their largest joint military exercises in years, consisting of air and sea exercises that include a US aircraft carrier and B-1B and B-52 bombers, which the US and South claim are a response to provocations from the North.⁴
• Starting last year, the North has significantly increased the rate of missile tests, firing a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles over ten different launch events just this year. Last week, the North warned that the US and South were escalating the situation to the brink of nuclear war.⁵
• More recently, North Korea has fired a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking anywhere in the United States. It also recently unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads and an alleged nuclear-capable underwater attack drone.¹

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²France 24, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Dw.com and ⁵Itn.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Archive. The US and South Korea are working together to combat the rising threat North Korea poses. Because of the current stakes, the two allies are joining for the largest military exercises in five years. Kim Jong Un is on the precipice of starting a nuclear war, and his threats cannot be dismissed. The US military must defend its allies and the rules-based international order and prevent a nuclear attack at all costs.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Kcna watch. The US and its puppet South Korea's military provocations and war exercises are disturbing the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula, which is why Kim Jong Un needs to take practical measures to deter any acts of territorial invasion. These preemptive actions cannot be overlooked, and US confrontations must be addressed.

Predictions