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North Korea’s Kim Jong-un signals nuclear clout to US before China visit
Kim’s visit to several nuclear and engine facilities is to show the North can launch missiles all the way to the US, analysts say
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The inspection by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of several weapons and missile facilities ahead of a trip to China is to signal Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear capabilities to the US and his clout on the international stage, according to analysts.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that on Sunday, Kim visited a research institute behind the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
KCNA’s announcement on Monday came shortly after Kim departed Pyongyang for Beijing aboard his private train on the same day to attend China’s World War II Victory Day military parade on Wednesday.
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Among the global leaders that Kim is expected to meet at the parade are Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. It will be Kim’s first visit to China in more than six years and his fifth overall to the country.
Kim also visited a new defence manufacturing factory and reviewed an automated missile production line on Sunday.
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“His moves are aimed at highlighting his country’s nuclear weapons capabilities before making his first appearance on the multilateral diplomatic stage,” Cho Han-bum, senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), told This Week in Asia.
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