Publication Date: May 18, 2026, 05:52
Tensions: North Korea seeks to bolster defense against the South
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called to strengthen frontline military units against the “southern enemy” of South Korea.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called to strengthen the frontline military units against the “southern enemy,” as reported by the official agency KCNA on Monday.
Kim Jong Un has “presented plans to (…) strengthen frontline units and other major units on military and technical matters to enhance its deterrence capabilities,” according to a KCNA dispatch.
A photo released by KCNA shows Mr. Kim chairing a meeting of officers in uniform.
“He emphasized that commanders at all levels of the army should continue to refine their (…) vision of the southern enemy,” the text clearly referring to South Korea, added.
The two neighboring countries are technically still at war since their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Despite the South Korean president’s efforts for reconciliation last year, Pyongyang systematically rejects Seoul’s overtures.
Kim Jong Un also discussed the state policy of “territorial defense concerning strengthening frontline units at the southern border and transforming the demarcation line into an impregnable fortress.”
According to Hong Min, an analyst at the Korean Institute for National Unification, this statement reflects the lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine, in which Pyongyang supported Moscow by sending troops.
“This statement reflects an awareness of drone warfare techniques, precision strikes, electronic warfare, and multidomain battlefields observed in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East,” he told AFP.
Despite this new announcement of military hardening, a rare moment of clarity emerges since the arrival on Sunday in South Korea of a North Korean women’s football team. Such a sports visit has not occurred in nearly eight years.
Naegohyang FC will face Suwon FC in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday in a sold-out match. South-funded associations plan to support both teams, as crossing the border is prohibited for North Korean supporters.
(AFP)
