A day before the start of the biggest joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington in five years, state media reported that North Korea has decided to take “important practical” war deterrence measures.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, the choice was made at a meeting of the military committee of the ruling party, which was presided over by the party’s leader Kim Jong Un (KCNA).
“The meeting discussed and adopted the important practical steps for making more effective, powerful and offensive use of the war deterrent,” KCNA said.
According to the report, the action was taken to “address the current situation in which the war provocations of the United States and South Korea are approaching the red-line,” but it did not go into further detail about the measures.
The “Freedom Shield” drills between South Korea and the US are set to begin on Monday, with a focus on the “changing security environment” brought on by North Korea’s increased aggression, the allies said.
North Korea is enraged by all such maneuvers because it sees them as invasion drills.
The nation has stated that its missile and nuclear weaponry programs are for self-defense.
According to analysts, North Korea will probably use the exercises as a justification to carry out additional provocations, such as missile tests and possibly a nuclear test.
Kim reportedly instructed the military of North Korea to step up preparations for a “real conflict” on Friday, according to KCNA.
According to KCNA, Kim instructed soldiers to be ready for “two strategic missions, namely, first to deter war and second to take the lead in war” while inspecting a fire assault exercise.
In response to North Korea’s increasing military and nuclear threats and its increasingly provocative recent use of banned weapons, Washington and Seoul have increased defense collaboration.
