By Lee Tae-hoon
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his troops to maintain maximum vigilance during a joint live-fire exercise of combat jets, warships and artillery units on Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media reported Thursday.
His inspection of the military drill by the Army, Navy and Air Force came at a time when the communist regime has threatened to wage a “sacred war” against South Korea over Seoul’s alleged slandering of Kim and his late father Kim Jong-il.
Local media here recently reported that a South Korean military unit in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, posted photos of the two Kims inside barracks with the slogans “Let’s beat Kim Jong-il to death! Let’s strike Kim Jong-un to death!” written on them.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the junior Kim ordered the troops of the three armed forces to “mercilessly wipe out the enemy with arms of justice and revenge if they make any (provocative) move.”
He called for maximum preparation for battle, saying his troops should be able to launch an attack at all times and they must focus on combat “whether in their sleep or while dreaming.”
The latest inspection came only days after Kim placed his troops in the border village of Panmunjom on alert and instructed Navy units along the west coast to beef up combat readiness.
Kim, who is widely believed to be in his late 20s, has recently made frequent trips to military units in an apparent attempt to bolster support of the military and raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula ahead of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March 26 and 27.
Some pundits say the impoverished country cranked up rhetoric against the South in an effort to seek a bigger concession from Washington in its bilateral negotiations of suspending its nuclear weapons programs in exchange for food aid.
The South has warned it will immediately undertake stern retaliation if Pyongyang provokes it, saying “our troops will annihilate North Korean forces without any hesitation in revenge for their two deadly attacks in 2010.”
The North killed 50 South Koreans in 2010, including 46 sailors in the sinking of the frigate Cheonan, in two deadly attacks.
Army Gen. Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged pilots of the Air Force Thursday to promptly strike back against the enemy and its supporting troops in case of an attack during an inspection of the Korea Air and Space Operation Center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
“Our forces are not only ready and capable of doing so, but have the will and mind-set for this,” the top general said.
He was taken up in an F-15K fighter jet for about an hour to check the Air Force’s readiness to counter North Korean attacks and engage in joint operations with U.S. Forces Korea.