On-Site Inspections of New Tank and Electronic Weapon Development for Two Consecutive Days
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, announced that he will propose a "parallel policy of nuclear and conventional forces" at the 9th Party Congress to be held next year.
Kim Jong Un directs the Glove Defense Weapon Research Institute and the Electronic Weapon Research Institute. Photo by Yonhap News.
On September 13, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un conducted on-site inspections at the Defense Science Institute's Glove Defense Weapon Research Institute and the Electronic Weapon Research Institute on September 11 and 12. On the 12th, he also visited a training base in the Pyongyang region to observe a shooting competition by sniper units.
Kim Jong Un was briefed on the progress of developing key core technologies, which were completed through joint research between the Glove Defense Weapon Research Institute and the Tank Design Bureau.
The agency stated that Kim Jong Un "reviewed the status of special composite armor development, the reaction tests of the intelligent active protection system currently undergoing final pre-deployment testing, and the research progress in the field of armored defense, including the design plan for effective top-attack defense structures."
Additionally, Kim Jong Un said, "At the upcoming 9th Party Congress, a parallel policy of nuclear and conventional forces will be presented in the field of national defense construction," and he "expressed his confidence that the Defense Science Institute will continue to uphold the Party's strong military-building policy and take the lead in the work to modernize conventional forces," according to the agency.
Kim Jong Un stated, "With the successful development and deployment of directional infrared and electronic jamming equipment, active protection systems, and passive defense measures, the combat power of our armored forces is being greatly strengthened."
During this inspection, a comprehensive operational test of the new active protection system was also conducted. This system is designed to counter frontal, side, and top attacks by various anti-tank missiles during live-fire exercises. The agency reported, "The test demonstrated that the detection system and the rotary interceptor launchers are highly responsive," and "it was practically verified that the newly developed active protection system is highly superior."
This visit marked Kim Jong Un's return to the new tank development site four months after his inspection of the 'major tank factory' in May. At that time, Kim Jong Un remarked, "Replacing with the latest tanks and armored vehicles is the most important issue in force building and army modernization."
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