N. Korea: Kim Jong Un urges improved military capabilities for war
PYONGYANG – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged the country’s military to improve capabilities for fighting a war in a speech last week, state media KCNA said on Monday.
Kim delivered the speech to a conference of battalion commanders and political instructors held in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Friday, during which he “ardently” called for building political and military strength and fighting efficiency to ensure that the armed forces can “fight an actual war.”
KCNA added that a workshop was given for military officers over the weekend as part of the conference, which was aimed at strengthening the battalions, bolstering their fighting efficiency, and “rounding off war preparations as required by the prevailing situation and modern warfare.”
In a separate dispatch, KCNA noted that a Russian delegation led by National Resources and Ecology Minister Alexander Kozlov arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday for trade and economy talks.
Last week, Kim guided a test of suicide drones and ordered their mass production, citing an intensifying competition for adopting such weapons around the world.
In another context, Biden’s administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, sources told Reuters, in reaction to reports accusing North Korea of sending ground troops to Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Monday, saying that the missile decision would fuel the conflict and escalate tensions, while Russian lawmaker Maria Butina warned that President Joe Biden’s administration was risking World War III.
