The maximum leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has urged the country's Armed Forces to significantly strengthen their military capacity and to transform into an elite army, in a context of growing tension with South Korea following several incidents recorded at the shared border.
The North Korean leader has emphasized the importance of undertaking a comprehensive and simultaneous military transformation, accelerating the preparation of all units. In this regard, he has pointed out that the strength of the North Korean Army "will multiply in an incomparable way" if its members consolidate their ideological commitment, achieve maximum technical and military expertise, and strictly observe discipline, he stated during the third Conference of Company Commanders of the Korean People's Army, according to the state agency KCNA.
Kim has indicated that the purpose of this conclave is precisely to "build the strongest army" through the improvement of the companies and the promotion of a military revolution adjusted to the North Korean model. At the same time, he has urged the commanders to safeguard the essence of the Armed Forces as "the army of the Party and the army of ideology."
In his speech, the Minister of Defense, Kim Song Gi, has highlighted the role played by the Army during the last seven years, although he has acknowledged the presence of "problems that must be overcome," without providing additional details in this regard.
This conference, the first national meeting of the Armed Forces since February, takes place at a time of deterioration of ties between Pyongyang and Seoul. The climate has worsened after the explosion of two mines on September 21 in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korean authorities blamed North Korea for the placement of the devices, while Pyongyang rejected such accusations and accused the South Korean government of distorting the facts.
To this episode is added the announcement by Kim Yo Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, that Pyongyang will redeploy "in a matter of days" propaganda loudspeakers directed towards South Korea at the border, as well as recent reports from South Korean authorities indicating that North Korea has sown around 960,000 landmines in the DMZ since 2024.
The reinforcement of fortifications, the expansion of the minefield, and the succession of incidents highlight the hardening of the military scenario on the Korean peninsula, where the defensive measures adopted by both countries continue to fuel tension in one of the most heavily militarized borders on the planet.