Kim Jong Un during his visit to a major operational training base in the western region of the North Korean People's Army (European)
North Korea's official news agency said that leader Kim Jong Un urged his country's army to "actually prepare for combat" while supervising "military air warfare exercises."
The agency explained that Kim praised the army's readiness, and ordered the intensification of training to deal with all types of terrain and the most severe combat conditions.
"Only actual training directly related to war can prepare soldiers as real fighters," the agency quoted him as saying.
According to the agency, the northern leader supervised training for paratrooper military units “the aim of which was to demonstrate the ability of his forces to occupy a hostile area with one strike,” adding that the forces “demonstrated their full combat ability to occupy enemy territory with one strike as soon as they received the order to do so.”
Pictures published by North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed his daughter, Joo Ae, watching the training with binoculars alongside her father and senior military officials.
Other pictures show the positioning of forces while dozens of paratroopers land in the background.
The day before yesterday, Thursday, Pyongyang announced that Kim personally drove a “new-type combat tank” during military exercises that took place in parallel with the annual joint exercises between Washington and Seoul.
The tank was described as "the most powerful in the world."
On that day, the agency broadcast pictures in which the leader appeared wearing a black leather jacket, greeting the soldiers who wore the spotted military uniform and cheered with joy at meeting him, before he supervised the “training march” exercises.
These exercises took place with live ammunition, and Kim supervised them from a field command position surrounded by senior generals, according to the same source.
Kim's daughter appears behind him in the photo, as he is keen to accompany her during confrontations in (French) military maneuvers and events.
Washington exercises and Putin's gift
The North Korean exercises coincide with the conclusion of the annual joint exercises between South Korea and the United States, “Freedom Shield.” Pyongyang rejects these exercises and considers them a declaration of war.
A few days ago, Seoul and Washington conducted joint military exercises, during which Pyongyang paid special attention to air exercises, as experts say that the North Korean Air Force is the weakest link in the country's military system.
In a symbolic gesture, Pyongyang's official media reported on Saturday that leader Kim Jong Un publicly rode in a car gifted to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in "clear evidence" of strengthening friendship between the two countries.
The Korean Central News Agency, citing Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister, said that Kim's trip on Friday in a Russian Urus limousine is "clear evidence of the friendship between the DPRK and Russia, which is developing in a comprehensive manner at a new high stage."
Pyongyang and Moscow have established closer relations since Kim and Putin met in Russia last September, and pledged to deepen military relations.
The two countries deny Western accusations that North Korea is supplying Russia with artillery shells and missiles used in the Russian war on Ukraine.
Source: Agencies