North Korean state media yesterday marked the nation’s founding anniversary with calls for a nuclear arms buildup, in defiance of mounting international sanctions.
The South Korean military said it was keeping close tabs on the North amid speculation it could stage a missile launch or another nuclear test to mark the 1948 establishment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 last year, and then carried out a sixth a week ago, saying it was a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted onto a missile — prompting global condemnation and calls for further sanctions.
Photo: Kyodo/via REUTERS
In July, it tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that appeared to bring much of the mainland US into range.
“The defense sector, in step with the party’s Byungjin policy [of developing the economy and nuclear weapons at the same time] must make cutting-edge ‘Juche’ weapons in greater quantities,” the Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial, referring to the national philosophy of Juche or “self-reliance.”
The mouthpiece of the North’s ruling party called for more “miracle-like events,” such as the two ICBM tests, to deter the US, which it said was bent on “decapitating” the nation’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
“No matter how the US and its puppets kick up a ruckus, our republic, which has a strong military and the most powerful ‘Juche’ bombs and weapons, and whose territory has all turned into fortresses, and all its people armed to the teeth, will remain an eternal iron-clad citadel,” it said.
In another commentary, the Rodong Sinmun said the US would continue receiving “gift packages in different shapes and sizes” as long as it sticks to what it said was a hostile policy against the North.
Kim himself has called the ICBM tests “gift packages” that the North was delivering to the “US bastards.”
A South Korean Ministry of Defense spokesman yesterday said there were no signs of the North preparing a missile launch or a nuclear test.
“The military is maintaining its utmost defense posture, keeping a close watch over the North, but there is nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source