North Korea’s Kim calls for military readiness against any ‘provocation’

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for his military to be ready to respond to any “provocation” by the enemy, state media said on Dec 1, after Pyongyang vowed to deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons along its border with the South.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased since the North launched a spy satellite in November, prompting Seoul to suspend a key clause in a 2018 inter-Korea military accord and Pyongyang in turn to declare it was no longer bound by the pact.

Visiting the air force headquarters on Nov 30 to mark the country’s air men day, Mr Kim rolled out operational strategic guidelines to improve the military’s readiness and war capabilities, the KCNA news agency said.

“He set forth operational and tactical policies... so as to counter any military provocation and threat of the enemy immediately and powerfully,” KCNA said.

That stop was followed by a visit to a fighter wing, where pilots staged a demonstration flight, it said.

Photographs released by the state media showed Mr Kim and his daughter, both dressed in long leather jackets, watching the show.

Mr Kim praised the air force for being “fully prepared to perfectly carry out their air combat missions under any unfavourable situation”, KCNA said.

The United States and its allies have strongly condemned the North’s first spy satellite launch as a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. But Pyongyang has said it would launch more satellites, calling it an exercise of a right to self-defence.

On Nov 30, the United States targeted North Korea with fresh sanctions over the satellite launch, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating sanctions evasion. South Korea also announced sanctions on 11 North Koreans.

Reflecting the rising strain, South Korea has suspended tours of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, a Seoul official said.

Local media reported that North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area inside the DMZ had started carrying firearms again after the North withdrew from the inter-Korea military deal.

The DMZ tours had restarted last week; they had been halted after a US soldier’s unauthorised crossing into North Korea while on a tour in July. Private Travis King was later handed back by the North and returned to the United States, where he faces charges.

South Korea has suspended part of an inter-Korea military deal in response to the satellite launch and stepped up surveillance along the heavily fortified border with the North, to which Pyongyang responded by vowing stronger armed forces and new weapons along the border area. REUTERS