He added that its Scud “knock-offs”, which are short-range tactical ballistic missiles, could target military facilities – including those operated by its arch-enemy the United States – anywhere in South Korea.
Advertisement
North Korea’s space agency said last month Pyongyang was building a new satellite and readying it for launch, with any use of a long-range rocket suggesting that the secretive state has made advances developing a ballistic missile.
The North, it said, appeared to be preparing for “one of the largest military parades” in its history.
The anniversary, which in essence celebrates the founding of the North Korean state, is expected to go all out in terms of showing its military muscle, along with mass dancing and in-synch marching.
A North Korean military vessel fires a new anti-ship rocket during a drill, at an undisclosed location in North Korea, June 15, 2015. They also were ordered to give money to local officials, ostensibly to chip in for the costs of the celebration, the website reported. The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced global Studies said that images taken Tuesday show hundreds of tents, trucks and armored vehicles at the site, and troops assembled in formation.
North Korea aired a 30-minute special program on Monday, boasting about its military might and its ability to miniaturize nuclear bombs.
The North has recently ratcheted up its missile and nuclear threats, citing its sovereign right to launch “a series of satellites for peaceful purposes”.
But anxiety over a possible launch has faded.
Gortney, who cut his teeth as a fighter pilot, also called on Congress to approve next year’s military expenditure budget or risk jeopardizing the country’s missile defense.
Also on Friday, Kim met with the Chinese delegation led by Liu Yunshan, the Communist Party’s No. 5 leader, where Liu delivered a message by Chinese President Xi Jinping, KCNA said.
Large-scale parades – one of the rare occasions when North Korea opens its doors to the foreign press – serve multiple purposes.
Gortney’s assessment of the North’s miniaturization capabilities is not in line with the official US government position.
North Korea’s highest court in June sentenced two of the South Koreans, who were accused of spying, to hard labour for life, calling the punishment a lesson for those who conspire with the US and South Korea. But analysts suspect that this is part of his effort to claim legitimacy by modeling himself on his grandfather.
Hardy describes North Korea’s aircraft as “obsolete” and its pilots generally “poor”, but he said they have been investing in their naval capabilities – for very good reason. The country is in high gear with preparations for the anniversary on October. 10.
It was founded 70 years ago, after World War II and following the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea.
Advertisement
Since Kim Jong Un took the helm of North Korea following his father’s death, it is the first time that China has sent someone from the Communist Party’s seven-member Politburo Standing Committee.
