NK leader tours front-line units

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, is welcomed by his soldiers during his visit to a front-line military unit, located in Mt. Oseong in Gangwon Province, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has resumed visiting front-line military units, the nation’s state media reported, Monday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim inspected three posts located in Mt. Oseong, Sunday, located approximately 350 meters from the South.

Kim’s visits to the front-line military units were the first since the joint South Korean-U.S. military drill came to an end at the end of April. Last month, he was often reported inspecting units designated for taking care of soldier welfare.

During the exercises ― which the North describes as a prelude to a U.S. invasion of the North ― Kim made a series of visits to front-line military units near the western sea border, including an artillery post on Mu Island from where Yeongpyeong Island was shelled in November 2010, resulting in the deaths of four people.

During his visit to one of the three units, Kim presented soldiers with military equipment such as binoculars, machine guns and automatic rifles, the KCNA said.

Since the end of the Foal Eagle exercise, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been easing ― aside from the North launching short-range projectiles midway through this month over three consecutive days.