North Korea’s mission is to build “the most powerful armed forces in the world”, according to its leader Kim Jong Un.
The dictator, 42, delivered a determined speech on his future military plans and his intention to diversify his defense capabilities earlier this week.
This comes just days after her younger sister Kim Yo Jong issued a warning to South Korea – and it all suggests their neighbors should be on high alert.
While addressing a conference of North Korean army company commanders in Pyongyang, Kim issued a rallying cry to those present that a “new era of military buildup” was on the horizon.
He revealed that he wants North Korea’s military branches to transform into self-sufficient combat units, capable of carrying out operations independently.
Kim Jong Un pictured with his wife and their daughter at the National Defense Revolution Museum in North Korea earlier this month (AP/PA Images)
Speaking to the sea of army chiefs, Kim explained how he intends to “build a strong army in the new era and the duties of company commanders”, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He announced that “the development of the world’s most powerful armed forces” was at the top of his country’s agenda and believes this can be achieved by “favoring the strongest companies and accelerating a military revolution of our own style.”
Kim has always wanted to make North Korea a formidable force, but given the current state of the world and recent rumors about his health, his latest comments are seen as a show of force.
Earlier this month, US-based Chinese dissident Xie Wanjun claimed that Kim collapsed and fell into a coma, before being rushed to Beijing for emergency treatment.
He then boldly claimed that the North Korean leader had died and that his supposed death was being covered up by the regime.
North versus South
In what appears to be an attempt to debunk the allegations, photographs and images reportedly show Kim visiting a clothing and shoe exhibition in Pyongyang on October 19, accompanied by his wife and daughter.
Photos of him browsing articles have been deemed “proof of life” following rumors circulating online.
Following all this, Kim’s sister then flexed North Korea’s military muscles while issuing a warning to the South.
North Korea has added mines, barbed wire, anti-tank barriers and other fortifications to the border – and Kim Yo Jung announced that “psychological warfare” was imminent.
“Our tactical fighter teams are taking up new positions, and by October, the psychological warfare loudspeakers against the ROK will be operational all along the border,” she said.
The leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jung, had some choice words for South Korea earlier this week (Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images)
Both sides of Korea have frequently deployed loudspeakers to broadcast sounds of their choosing, according to The Guardian, but those loudspeakers have remained silent for the past 16 months.
The South generally chooses to play K-pop and news critical of Kim Jong Un’s nation, while the North reportedly tends to use “haunting bestial howls.”
Kim Yo Jung warned that border guards in North Korea would “show no mercy” if there was “real harm to our territorial security and the safety of our military.”
Interestingly, South Korean media then reported on Saturday (October 24) that Kim Jong Un had traveled to China – where he is believed to have died – in his first visit to the country in a year.
He reportedly visited the city of Dandong after crossing a recently opened bridge between the two countries.
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