North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the military to intensify drills for a “real war,” state media said on Friday, after overseeing a fire assault drill to prove the country’s capability to counter an “actual war”, reports South China Morning Post.
North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the waters off its western coast on March 9. Local media reported that six rockets were fired at the same time.
The latest missile launch comes as the US and South Korea prepare to hold their largest joint military exercise, Freedom Shield, next week.
According to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the unit trained for "strike missions" showed its capability to "counter an actual war" and "fired heavily on the waters of Nihsan".
"Kim Jong-un emphasized that assault units must be trained to the greatest perfection in two strategic missions. One of them is to stop the war, and the other is to gain the initiative in the war and to constantly intensify various exercises for a real war," said the local KCNA publication.
The leader of North Korea was accompanied by his daughter in a number of major military events.
What is known about Kim Jong-un's heir Kim Ju Ae?
Kim Jong Un showed his daughter Ju Ae for the first time in November of last year. Before that, the 38-year-old leader of the DPRK did not show any of his children to the public. Ju ae was with his father during the launch of the country's largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea at the Stimson Center in Washington, believes that by bringing his daughter to the public, Kim can show that she is the successor of power. In January, the North Korean leader was seen with his daughter during an inspection of troops and an intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea's state news agency KCNA called her Kim Jong-un's "favorite" and "precious" child.
Some analysts suggest that Kim Jong-un is trying to avoid the mistake made by his father by naming a possible heir to power early.
Comments (0)