International

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un orders heightened war preparations
     Latest comments come as US and South Korea hold joint military exercises involving thousands of troops.
     The North Korean leader said the military must “dynamically usher in a new heyday of intensifying the war preparations in line with the requirements of the prevailing situation”, according to KCNA.

“Our army should … steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness,” he added.

Kim’s visit took place as forces from the United States and South Korea continued their annual Freedom Shield large-scale military exercises.

The drills, expected to involve 48 field exercises including missile interception drills, bombing, air assault and live-firing, began on Monday with twice the number of troops participating compared with last year.