Kim Jong Un and Daughter Supervise Military Exercises: North Korea’s Preparations for War

2024-03-16 10:46:00
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a demonstration during the training of air and amphibious combat units of the Korean People’s Army, in this image released on March 16, 2024 by the Central News Agency of Korea. KCNA via REUTERS

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un supervised military exercises with his daughter in which the country’s paratroopers participated and called for full preparations for war, state media said this Saturday.

”He stressed the need for all military personnel to be firmly armed with strong will once morest the enemy and deep combat vision to change history if a war breaks out,” the state agency KCNA said.

In the images shared by said source, Kim is seen with his daughter, whose age or name has not been revealed (although it is believed that she might be called Kim Ju-ae), both dressed in leather trench coats: black for the father and brown for the daughter.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter at a military demonstration in North Korea, in this image released on March 16, 2024 by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in this image released on March 16, 2024 by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS

The minor appears supervising the maneuvers with binoculars, in another example of the prominent role that the North Korean leader would like to give to his daughter and whose intention is still unknown.

The young woman appeared in state media for the first time on November 19, 2022, when she accompanied her father to witness the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The current exercises would be a response to the recent annual military exercises by South Korea and the United States that ended on Thursday following eleven days and that sought to strengthen military and deterrence capabilities once morest the North Korean threat.

A South Korean K1A2 tank fires during a joint live-fire exercise at a military training range in Pocheon on March 14, 2024 as part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS

The South Korean and U.S. militaries on Thursday announced the end of “Freedom Shield,” their traditional spring war games focused largely on computer simulations and command post exercises.

However, this year’s maneuvers, which began on March 4, included operations on land, sea and air and used as a basis situations in which the objective was “to respond to North Korean nuclear operations.”

That fictitious scenario mentioned “operations” but did not imply the use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang per se, an assumption that is expected to be present in the large combined drills that Seoul and Washington will carry out in the summer.

South Korean and U.S. soldiers pose for photos following their joint live-fire exercise at a military training range in Pocheon, March 14, 2024, as part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS

To culminate “Freedom Shield” this year, the South Korean army carried out live-fire exercises today in Pocheon, regarding 25 kilometers south of the border with the North, in which a mechanized infantry division participated together with a Korean combined engineering unit. South-U.S.

About 300 troops took part in the drill, which involved K1A2 tanks, K21 armored vehicles, K30 Biho self-propelled artillery or M60 armored bridge launchers.

Pyongyang, which considers these annual spring exercises as a rehearsal to invade its territory, has responded, with the active participation of Kim Jong-un, with its own drills since “Freedom Shield” began 11 days ago.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un salutes as he leads a military demonstration involving tank units, in North Korea, on March 13, 2024 in this image released on March 14, 2024 by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS

First, Kim visited a training base on the western flank last week where he urged his army to “intensify” its military maneuvers, in order “to obtain a victory in a real war.”

Days later, the North Korean leader himself directed some artillery tests with live fire and sent a provocative message to the South, indicating that a border unit that has Seoul “in its firing range” participated in this drill.

The North Korean army is believed to have long-range artillery units located near the western flank of the inter-Korean border that would technically have the capacity to reach points in the southern capital.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses during a military demonstration with tank units, in North Korea, on March 13, 2024 in this image released on March 14, 2024 by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERSNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un stands on a military vehicle while leading a military demonstration with tank units, in North Korea, on March 13, 2024 in this image released on March 14, 2024 by the Agency Korea News Central. KCNA via REUTERS

Just a few hours later, the South Korean Air Force responded by parading, for the first time, all the combat fighter models it has operational.

During the event, the southern army recalled that it has a rapid response air squadron for the first line of combat in charge of defending the Seoul metropolitan area which, in the event of an attack, has the mission of supporting the destruction of the aforementioned North Korean batteries.

(With information from EFE)

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