N. Korean leader orders military to improve war readiness
Associated PressSEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in the face of deepening tensions with its neighbors and Washington. The commission also discussed unspecified organizational changes to “fundamentally improve and strengthen” military affairs, and state media photos of the meeting showed a flag representing a possibly new department called the “missile general bureau.” North Korea marks the 75th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on Wednesday and may celebrate with a parade in Pyongyang. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a briefing that the South Korean military has detected a “significant increase in personnel and vehicles” in areas related to parade rehearsals, but declined to share a specific assessment on when the event would take place. Lee said the South Korean military was closely monitoring developments related to North Korea’s possible creation of a new military bureau related to missiles, but didn’t provide further details. During a major political conference in December, Kim called for an “exponential increase” of the country’s nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting South Korea and the development of more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the American homeland.