In a major development ahead of South Korea and United States joint drills, North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un fired the military's top general and called for more preparations for the possibility of war.
According to a report by state media KCNA, the closed-door meeting was held on Wednesday, where the leader was seen in a fierce mood and reportedly exhibited disagreement with the current military preparedness.
With a cigarette in hand, Kim was seen pointing fingers at a map-- potentially of North Korea-- and dismissed the chief of the general staff Pak Su Il. Pak was replaced with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, according to KCNA.
The media report claimed that the enlarged meeting analyzed the military moves of the "chief culprits"-- potentially pointing fingers at the US and South Korea-- of deteriorated situation that allegedly "disturbed peace" and "stability" in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity, and decided on the plans for offensive military countermeasures to thoroughly deter them.
It also discussed as its major agenda item the issues of making full war preparations to neutralize at a blow the enemy attack with overwhelming strategic deterrence and launch simultaneous offensive military actions in contingency, reported KCNA.
"He deeply summarized and analyzed the present situation of the Korean peninsula and its vicinity and made an important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA in an offensive way," added the report.
The major development came nearly three after the supreme leader visited the country’s important weapon factories including those manufacturing launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and artillery systems and pledged to boost his war readiness. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their zenith in several years as the rate of North Korea's missile tests and the joint US-South Korea military exercises, which Kim sees as invasion rehearsals, have both intensified.
