We have written many times before about how North Korea is increasing its military capabilities. This process is going on all the time, but today we are going to talk not about tests of new equipment, but about a much more important thing, because it is one thing to test an experimental prototype, and another thing to set up the mass production and equip troops.

As we know from both Soviet and Russian experience, there is a rather long time lag between the development of new weapons and their availability on a large scale. In this context, we will look at the important announcement that 250 new tactical missile systems have been transferred to the Korean People’s Army.

About the ceremony itself

As reported by the KCNA, on August 4 a ceremony was held to mark the delivery of the new tactical ballistic missile system, attended by DPRK leader Kim Jong-un with his daughter.

The North Korean leader “proudly announced” that the important task specified in the practical recommendations on strengthening military strength adopted at the 8th Congress of the Korean Workers’ Party had been successfully accomplished, expressed gratitude to all those involved and personally presented the military banners of the new missile units to their commanders, commissars and chiefs of staff. He pointed out that under the confrontational course promoted by the US, “self-reliance, justice and peace can only reliably be guaranteed by an unparalleled self-defense capacity and the continuous increase of our mighty and inexhaustible power will guarantee our eternal victory and true peace, happiness and tranquility.”

Kim Jong-un pledged to demonstrate North Korea’s weapons advances to the world every year as a deterrent, and emphasized that building up the country’s nuclear arsenal and developing a nuclear deterrent is the best way to counter nuclear threats and pressure from the US. Notably, with regard to the latter, he said that it was “not an administration that comes to power just for a few years, but a hostile state that North........

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