North Korea leader Kim Jong Un orders heightened war preparations — KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses with troops at a major military operations base in the western region of the country, as he ordered heightened readiness for war, KCNA news agency reported, in North Korea, in this picture released on March 7, 2024 by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected field training of troops at a major military operations base in the western region of the country on Wednesday and ordered heightened readiness for war, state KCNA news agency reported on Thursday.

The tour of the base, the location of which was not identified, comes after the start of annual combined military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces on Monday in the South with twice the number of troops taking part compared to last year.

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Kim said the military must “dynamically usher in a new heyday of intensifying the war preparations in line with the requirements of the prevailing situation,” KCNA reported.

“Our army should … steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness,” KCNA quoted Kim as telling the troops.

KCNA did not mention whether Kim directly referred to the drills by the U.S. and South Korean military. He inspected troops conducting actual maneuvers under conditions simulating actual war, KCNA said.