(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim calls for bolstering war preparations in 'offensive' way: KCNA

(ATTN: ADDS assessment by unification ministry official, details)
By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for preparing for a possible war in an "offensive" manner, the North's state media said Thursday, as South Korea and the United States plan to stage joint military drills later this month.

Kim made the remarks while presiding over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Such meetings were previously held consecutively in February, March and April.

"He deeply summarized and analyzed the present situation of the Korean peninsula and its vicinity and made an important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA in an offensive way," the KCNA said. The KPA is an acronym for the North's Korean People's Army.

The meeting came as Seoul and Washington plan to hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise later this month, which Pyongyang has denounced as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North.

It also came as the North appears to be focused on flexing its military muscle. Following a rare visit by a Russian military delegation led by its Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu last month, Kim recently conducted a three-day "field guidance" of major munitions factories in the North.

The North Korean leader again highlighted the role of munitions factories, saying they have a "very important duty" to strengthen the KPA and called on them to push ahead with the modernization and mass production of weapons.

Kim also stressed the importance of a "strong army" in carrying out the party central committee's military strategy and called for "securing more powerful strike means for carrying out the mission of war deterrence" and "intensifying the work for deploying them in the units for action in a mobile way," it said.

Noting that "hostile forces are getting ever more undisguised in their reckless military confrontation," forcing the North to be equipped with "perfect military readiness for war," the North said Kim signed a written order discussed by the party military commission.

State media photos showed Kim speaking to officials in front of a blurred map of South Korea with his finger pointing to areas that appeared to be Seoul and the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of the capital.

An official at South Korea's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, assessed that the recalcitrant regime may have wanted to convey a "message of threat" to the South.

The official denounced North Korea for discussing war preparation in the party meeting, saying it is "deplorable" for the North to threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

"North Korea should realize the more it prepares for war and seeks to bolster its military force, the more vulnerable its security will be in the face of a powerful South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence and overwhelming response," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

During the meeting, North Korea dismissed Pak Su-gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), and replaced him with Ri Yong-gil, without elaborating.

Ri, who previously served as the North's defense minister, holds the position of vice marshal of the KPA and also serves as a vice chairman of the WPK's Central Military Commission.

Other "important tasks" discussed during the meeting included preparations for a militia parade to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9, according to KCNA.

If held, it would mark the North's third military parade this year, after those held in February and July. The country has not held military parades three times in a single year.

North Korea held a massive military parade, joined by delegations from China and Russia, to mark the 70th armistice anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War on July 27.

Noting that it is "rare" for the reclusive regime to give prior notice on a military parade, the ministry official said the militia parade is likely to be smaller in size and feature conventional weapons as seen in a 2021 military parade held by civilian defense forces to mark the regime's founding anniversary.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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