North Korean leader Kim oversees military drills
March 16, 2024
North Korea's Kim Jong Un supervised paratroop drills aimed at displaying his soldiers' ability to occupy an "enemy region at a stroke," state media said Saturday.
"The North Korean leader also showed great satisfaction as his airborne soldiers occupied the simulated main enemy military targets at once," Korean Central News Agency said.
The paratroop drills is a millitary exercise for airborne soldiers to attack in combat areas by parachuting from airplanes.
What the paratroop drills meant for Kim?
Korean Central News Agency reported that the exercise was aimed at inspecting the paratroopers' readiness to be mobilized for any operational plan in surprise wartime circumstances.
Images released by Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim's young daughter, Ju Ae, using binoculars to observe the drills, standing beside her father and senior military officials.
According to the state media, the North Korean leader stressed the importance of applying realistic and scientific training methods for achieving maximum fighting efficiency on actual battlefields as required by modern warfare.
A comeback for US-South Korean joint drill?
The North's paratroop drills came after the most recent annual US-South Korean Freedom Shield drills military exercise.
Pyongyang has shown particular sensitivity towards the joint air force exercises conducted by Washington and Seoul.
Shortly after the announcement of the joint millitary exercises, the North had threatened the US and South Korea, describing the military exercises as a "threat that would be met with the appropriate response."
Pyongyang later announced that Kim had guided a large-scale artillery drill involving a unit that it said was capable of striking the South Korean capital.
ssa/sri (AFP, Reuters)