In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the North Korean ruling Workers’ Party’s central military commission in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the North Korean ruling Workers’ Party’s central military commission in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has dismissed his top general and demanded that the military expands the combat capabilities of frontline units and steps up plans for a possible war.
Kim’s orders, at a meeting of the central military commission, were reported by state media on Thursday and come aheadof the large-scale annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise by the United States and South Korea later this month.
Pyongyang has long condemned the drills as rehearsals for an invasion and used them as a pretext to expand its own weapons tests and nuclear missile programme.
North Korea has test-fired more than 100 missiles since the start of last year, escalating tensions to their worst point in years and prompting Seoul to reinstate nationwide civil defence drills.
The military meeting that replaced Pak Su, the chief of the general staff, with General Ri Yong Gil, also discussed counter-measures to deter North Korea’s enemies who were getting more blatant in their “reckless military confrontation”, state newswire KCNA reported. It did not give a reason for the ousting of the army chief.
In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the North Korean ruling Workers’ Party’s central military commission in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Official photos were also released, showing Kim pointing at Seoul and areas surrounding the South Korean capital on a map.
The authoritarian leader’s latest threats come as Pyongyang is strengthening its ties with Russia and China, and shortly after a rare invitation from North Korea to Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, to visit a weapons exhibition displaying the country’s latest military hardware.
Washington has accused North Korea of providing artillery shells, rockets and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, although Pyongyang and Moscow have denied this.
Kim also told military leaders to invest in key munitions factories, and called on them to push ahead with the modernisation and mass production of weapons.
He stressed that the military must acquire “more powerful strike means” to bolster its nuclear deterrence capabilities and make speedier deployments of those weapons to combat units, and ordered more “actual war drills”.
