The development of submarine-launched
ballistic missiles (SLBM) starting five years is key fixture of Kim Jong
Un’s plans to build up asymmetric power and sustain the regime, a scholar at the forefront of these issues asserted at a recent seminar held in Tokyo.
Seo Jae Pyeong, the general secretary of
Committee for the Democratization of North Korea, spoke at a seminar titled
“North Korea’s outlook after the execution of Hyon Yong Chol,” hosted
by Unification Media Group on July 24th, opined that North Korea has not forgone its ambitions for a forceful unification.
“Kim Jong Il believed that SLBM, missiles,
and nuclear weapons could give him the power to subjugate South Korea within a
second. He imparted this belief to his son, Kim Jong Un, evident in the latter’s penchant for developing SLBM since coming to power,” he
explained.
He added that the relevant Party cadres
urged the young leader not to disclose the SLBM tests, but Kim Jong Un eschewed
their advice, filled with the desire the flex his military strength both on the foreign and domestic fronts.
Heading up SLBM development is the 166
research institute, which falls under the Second Natural Science Academy and is
in charge of national missile development and technology. The largest of its type in North Korea, the colossal organization
comprises over 2,500 personnel.
“Approximately 20 Russian missile experts
work in this institute since seeking exile in North Korea following the
fall of the Soviet Union in 1991; they receive special treatment from the state in return for their
contributions to the North’s missile development,” he said, adding that some
experts from the 166 institute frequently travel abroad to a conduct research
on and collect documents pertaining to military technology and capabilities from a host of countries across the globe.
