North Korea vows to expand nuclear warhead production 'exponentially'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un orders development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear counterattack capability and massive production of tactical nuclear weapons at a key meeting of ruling Workers' Party.
North Korea fires a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters , entering 2023 with another weapons test after an unprecedented number of firings in 2022.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to increase the production of nuclear warheads "exponentially" as Pyongyang opened New Year with a missile launch.
State media reported on Sunday that Kim called for drastically boosting the country's military power to protect its national interests as the US and its allies apply more military pressures on North Korea.
The official Korean Central News Agency cited Kim as saying North Korea is compelled to boost the production of nuclear warheads "exponentially" to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons.
It said Kim has also ordered the manufacturing of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with a swift, retaliatory attack capability. Kim also reportedly said North Korea will launch its first military spy satellite in the near future.
Kim made the comments during a ruling party meeting.
READ MORE: North Korea fires ballistic missiles after unprecedented year of tests
Overall, KJU called for an all-out effort to produce weapons that overwhelm South Korea and the United States. While raising the need to produce more nuclear weapons, he vowed to increase the production "exponentially".
— Global: Military-Info (@Global_Mil_Info) December 31, 2022
New Year missile test
Earlier, North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch, a day after it fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the country's eastern waters, in the last in North Korea's unprecedented number of weapons tests in 2022.
South Korean media said North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward North Korea's eastern waters on Sunday morning.
Media reports said the missile travelled about 400 kilometres before it fell into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The reports cited South Korea's military as detecting the launch.
Military tensions on the Korean peninsula rose sharply in 2022 as the North conducted sanctions-busting weapons tests nearly every month, including firing its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever.
READ MORE: Kim Jong-un unveils North Korea's new military goals
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