Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, convened a meeting with senior military commanders, ordering the strengthening of frontline forces and transforming the border with South Korea into an "unbreakable fortress" to provide decisive deterrence against war.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un attended a meeting with division and brigade commanders from across the military on Sunday (17 May) to seriously plan the enhancement of military capabilities in frontline areas.
Photos released by KCNA showed Kim Jong Un presiding over the Defense Council meeting, surrounded by senior military commanders in full uniform attentively receiving policy directives.
At the meeting, Kim Jong Un emphasized the need to raise alertness against the "archenemy," a term North Korea uses for South Korea, stating that plans to reinforce frontline and main combat units in terms of personnel and military technology represent a "critical decision" to improve comprehensive war deterrence.
The North Korean leader also declared the "territorial defense policy" of the Workers' Party of Korea, stating the necessity to transform the frontline forces along the southern border and convert the boundary into an "unbreakable fortress."
This move aligns with information from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, which revealed that North Korea began accelerating border security enhancements along the land boundary since March, including building walls and permanent barriers. De facto, the two Koreas remain in a state of war, as the Korean War (1950–1953) ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Furthermore, Kim Jong Un called for improvements in training systems and expanded practical exercises to correspond with changes in modern warfare, redefining North Korea's military operational concepts in all aspects.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, analyzed that Kim's orders reflect Pyongyang's important lessons learned from the Ukraine war, where North Korea supported Russia with personnel, as well as from conflicts in the Middle East.
"This directive clearly shows North Korea's awareness of the impact of drone warfare, precision strikes, electronic warfare, and multidimensional battlefields evident today," Hong Min stated, adding that North Korea's new combat concept is expanding beyond land, sea, and air to include undersea, space, electronic, and cyber domains. The mention of the southern border may also encompass military reinforcement along the Northern Limit Line, a maritime dispute area with South Korea.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification said on Monday that this is the first official report since Kim Jong Un came to power of his attendance at a meeting with division and brigade commanders. However, Seoul emphasized that it will continue managing military tensions and work to build mutual trust, despite Pyongyang repeatedly rejecting calls for dialogue.
Notably, North Korea's military signal came on the same day as the North Korean women's national football team arrived in South Korea to participate in a tournament, marking their first visit in eight years. Amid hopes that sports might ease the chilly tensions, Pyongyang's latest statement clearly indicates that security policies and war preparedness remain their top priorities.
. Reuters/ AFP