- Intensifying war exercises is necessary for the North Korean military to ‘rapidly’ improve its combat capabilities for ‘perfect war preparedness’
- Leader Kim reiterated last month that Pyongyang would not hesitate to “put an end” to South Korea if it were attacked, stepping up the intensity of the exercises.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brandished a gun as he inspected a major operational training base and urged his military to step up “real war drills,” state media reported Thursday.
Wearing a black leather jacket, Kim spoke to ranks of heavily armed soldiers in camouflage, supervised shooting exercises and inspected weapons, footage from the official Korean Central News Agency showed.
During his Wednesday visit to the base in the country’s western region, Kim told the North Korean military to “steadily intensify actual war exercises aimed at quickly improving combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness,” KCNA reported.
His visit comes as Seoul and Washington hold their annual spring military exercises known as ‘Freedom Shield’, which involve field exercises, missile interception exercises and some live fire exercises.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brandished a gun as he inspected a major operational training base and urged his military to step up “real war drills,” state media reported Thursday.
Kim told the North Korean military to “steadily intensify actual war exercises aimed at quickly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness.”
Pyongyang calls the exercises “reckless” and warns allies they will pay a “high price.”
KCNA photos also show Kim being cheered by soldiers, who have pledged “their intense loyalty” to him “in the holy struggle for the country’s security.”
North Korea has long condemned the joint US-South Korean military exercises, calling them rehearsals for an invasion.
The nuclear-armed North has conducted weapons tests in the past in response to such joint exercises.
Seoul said on Tuesday its military was thoroughly prepared for North Korea’s possible provocations.
He tried out different weapons and also military equipment while overlooking the soldiers
He said Pyongyang will not hesitate to “put an end” to South Korea if it is attacked
So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its “main enemy,” jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and relief, and threatened war for “even 0.001 mm” of territorial intrusion.
Leader Kim reiterated last month that Pyongyang would not hesitate to “put an end” to South Korea if it is attacked.
In January, North Korea fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean border islands, prompting a live-fire drill by the South and evacuation orders for residents.