Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a tank factory and expressed satisfaction over the upgraded structural design of indigenous tanks, while emphasizing the need to modernize the military with advanced tanks, the North's state media reported Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim reviewed the factory's production status, modernization, and progress in implementing research tasks related to core tank technology, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The agency did not disclose the name or location of the factory or the date of his visit, referring to it only as an "important" tank factory.
Kim emphasized the replacement of outdated armored weapons with the latest tanks and vehicles as a crucial issue in building armed forces and modernizing the army. "It is impossible to build the armoured force properly" unless the military role and developmental direction of tanks in modern warfare are correctly defined and the viewpoint in tank design is reconsidered, Kim stated during his field guidance.
He also highlighted the necessity to build large-scale capacity for producing state-of-the-art tanks and self-propelled guns and to quickly upgrade the overall armored weapon systems. This effort was described as an essential task for the governing party in initiating "the second revolution in armoured force."
The KCNA reported that Kim expressed "satisfaction" with the tanks' upgraded structural design and firepower system, which demonstrated scientific accuracy and reliability for a high-thrust engine. Kim noted that a "more development-oriented prospect" has emerged in the tank industry, and the party's policy of "further perfecting" core technologies for the main battle tank is actively pursued through ongoing development and production success.