North Korea’s Kim Jong Un orders heightened war operations, observes border attack military drills
Asia-Pacific, News March 7, 2024 1 Comment on North Korea’s Kim Jong Un orders heightened war operations, observes border attack military drillsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered heightened readiness for war in the wake of the U.S. and South Korea’s annual Freedom Shield large-scale military exercises involving thousands of troops.
Kim made the comments in an address after he oversaw military drills from the North Korean forces focused on storming border guard posts and stepping up pressure on South Korea.
According to North Korea’s state-run media outlet, KCNA, the North Korean leader said his forces must “dynamically usher in a new heyday of intensifying the war preparations in line with the requirements of the prevailing situation,”
KCNA also released photos of the drills showing troops and helicopters in training to take over a post that appears to resemble the one that South Korea has on its side of the border.
Kim Jong Un praised the military drills and soldiers preparedness and stressed the need for the Korean People’s Army (KPA) to further intensify the training at present, he set forth the important tasks for intensifying the practical actual-war drills ensuring victory in a war.
“Our army should steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness,” Kim added in his statement.
The military drills by North Korean forces come around the same time as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual Freedom Shield large-scale military drills involving 48 field exercises including missile interception drills, bombing, air assault, and live-firing. This year the exercise has involved more than twice the number of troops compared to last year.
Since the beginning of the year, the North Korean leader has established an aggressive stance toward relations with neighboring rival South Korea. During a meeting with his top military commanders on New Year’s Eve, Kim ordered his military to “thoroughly annihilate” South Korea and the United States if they initiated a military confrontation with North Korea.
Kim laid out his military ambitions and plans for the year 2024 since the start of the year as he announced that North Korea will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials, and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the United States.
He made his stance more evident through the rejection of the notion of peaceful unification from his state’s national policy. Additionally, artillery drills were conducted off a South Korean Island situated near a maritime border that has historically been a site of deadly conflicts.
Following these actions, speculations are rising that Kim may be shifting towards a more confrontational stance and preparing for potential conflict. President Joe Biden of the United States has cautioned Kim that any attempt to launch a nuclear attack would result in the downfall of his regime.
The South Korean government, under President Yoon Suk-yeol, believes that North Korea aims to increase its visibility in the lead-up to the April parliamentary elections. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, advocating for military cooperation with the U.S. and a firm stance against Pyongyang, seeks to gain control of the parliament from the opposition Democratic Party, which favors reconciliation with North Korea.
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1 Comment
I am from Vancouver,Canada and i wanted to say that i supports DPRK’s Kim Jong Un in ordering heightened War Preparations because US Forces are occupying the Korean Peninsula and that is a crime and should be condemned throughout the world.Korea got the right to arm itself against Yankee Imperialism. Yankees Go Home! Long Live the DPRK.