North Korea’s military has said it will expand and intensify its military exercises in preparation for “war readiness,” state media reported Tuesday, ahead of a mass parade.
The pledge was made at a meeting held Monday under the leadership of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following joint South Korean-US air exercises last week.
On the agenda was “the constant expansion and intensification of the combat operations and exercises of the Korean People’s Army… to strictly perfect the preparation for war,” according to the official KCNA news agency.
Kim Jong II’s birthday on February 16
At the same time, private satellite images suggest that “major preparations for a military parade” are underway in the capital, Pyongyang, ahead of national holidays in February.
On February 8, North Korea celebrates the anniversary of the founding of its armed forces, and on February 16, the birthday of Kim Jong Il, father and predecessor of the current North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.
Last week, Seoul and Washington conducted aerial exercises with strategic bombers and stealth fighters, angering Pyongyang, which said such maneuvers could “trigger an all-out confrontation.”
This show of force by the two allied powers comes after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart announced increased security cooperation against Pyongyang.
Source: BFM TV
