North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for a massive reinforcement of military positions along the border with South Korea to make it an "impregnable fortress," according to remarks reported Monday by North Korean state media.
According to the official KCNA news agency, Kim Jong-un was speaking on Sunday at a meeting of North Korean army division and brigade commanders.
The leader stated that strengthening frontline units and other strategic forces was essential to "more effectively deter war." He also stressed the need to adapt the military to the evolving nature of modern conflicts.
Kim Jong-un called for a reform of the military training system and an expansion of practical exercises to modernize the operational concepts of the North Korean army. He also urged the armed forces to remain constantly vigilant against what he termed the "sworn enemy," a term regularly used by Pyongyang to refer to South Korea.
Tensions remain particularly high between the two countries, which have technically remained at war since the 1950-1953 conflict. The Korean War ended with a simple armistice and not with a definitive peace treaty.
These new statements come in an already tense regional context, marked by the increase in North Korean missile tests and the strengthening of military cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification did not immediately respond in detail to Kim Jong-un's remarks, but Seoul is closely monitoring North Korean military movements along the heavily militarized border separating the two states.
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