Kim urges stronger combat skills in drills

Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told his army to improve combat skills through tough training, saying they must always be ready for war and able to defeat enemies in every battle, state media said on Thursday.

Kim made the remarks while watching an artillery contest held by the Korean People’s Army (KPA) on Wednesday. The goal of the event was to improve artillery shooting skills. Units had to hit a sea target within a set time.

Kim praised the troops after the drill and urged the military to upgrade artillery strategies to match the fast-changing battlefield. He stressed that real-war training is necessary and that clear focus on the "arch enemy" is key to strong defence.

Top military officials at the event included Pak Jong-chon, No Kwang-chol, and Ri Yong-gil.

Back in February, Kim named 2025 as the year of military training and has since led many military activities. He oversaw a similar artillery drill in May.

South Korea’s unification ministry noted that the latest drills didn’t seem aimed at South Korea or the US. North Korea also didn’t name any specific enemy in the training.

Hong Min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said photos of the drill showed a 170-mm self-propelled gun. He believes North Korea may be using lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war in its own training.

This weapon is one of many that North Korea reportedly supplied to Russia for use in the ongoing conflict, experts say.