North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Calls for Preparation for Possible War

North Korea's military and defense industry must intensify efforts to prepare for a possible war. This was stated by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “Combat tasks have been set for the people’s army, defense industry, nuclear weapons, and civil defense sectors to accelerate the enhancement of war preparedness,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.

North Korea launched the “Manri-gen-1” reconnaissance satellite on November 21. In a previous announcement by the Korean Central News Agency, it was emphasized that this would enhance the country's readiness for military operations, the likelihood of which is increasing due to “very dangerous military actions by enemies.”

Later, North Korea announced that any interference with its satellites would be considered a declaration of war. Just a day before the launch, the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at South Korea's Busan naval base. The South Korean naval forces stated that this demonstrates the two countries’ “complete determination to respond to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.”

Following the satellite launch, the White House stated that it “strongly condemns” this move as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, as ballistic missile technology was used during the launch, which is prohibited by the document.