North Korean leader Kim Jong Un himself supervised paratrooper exercises, state media said on Saturday.
While Seoul and Washington carried out joint military maneuvers a few days ago, Pyongyang for its part paid particular attention to air exercises, with experts believing that its air force is the weak link in its military system.
The latest training supervised by Kim Jong Un was aimed at "inspecting the readiness of the paratroopers to be mobilized for any operational setting in unexpected wartime circumstances" and assessing their capabilities, reported the official KCNA news agency.
The North Korean leader stressed the importance of "applying realistic and scientific training methods" to "achieve maximum combat effectiveness on the battlefields, as required in modern warfare."
Also read: Kim Jong Un threatens South Korea with war for any violation of its territory
He was also “very satisfied” when his airborne soldiers “occupied the main simulated enemy military targets in one fell swoop,” she said.
The troops demonstrated "their perfect combat capability to occupy the enemy region in one fell swoop as soon as an order is given," according to KCNA.
A large-scale artillery exercise
Seoul and Washington a few days ago concluded their annual large-scale "Freedom Shield" exercises, including missile interception and air assaults.
The number of troops participating has been doubled compared to 2023.
Pyongyang warned that the two countries would pay a "high price" for the maneuvers before announcing that Kim Jong Un had overseen a large-scale artillery exercise including, it said, border units "that put the capital of the "enemy within their reach".
This week, Pyongyang also announced that Kim Jong Un had driven a "new type of battle tank", described as "the most powerful in the world" during military exercises.
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On March 7, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the headquarters of the "Special Operations Command" during exercises aimed at "mastering advanced combat techniques."
They included carrying out “operations” aimed at intervening inside “key North Korean installations” in the event of an attack on Pyongyang.
“If Kim Jong Un goes to war, you will have to become the world's most powerful special warfare unit, capable of quickly eliminating the enemy's leaders,” Shin Won-sik said during his visit.
Since the start of the year, Pyongyang has designated South Korea as its "main enemy", closed agencies dedicated to reunification and inter-Korean dialogue and threatened war for any violation of its territory "even if only of 0.001 mm”.