North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his top general and called for stepping up war preparations \u201cin an offensive way\u201d, including boosting weapons production and conducting more drills, state media reported on Thursday. With a cigarette in hand, Kim was shown talking to a room full of uniformed top generals, and pointing at maps, images in state media showed, while he discussed \u201cmajor military actions\u201d against South Korea at a meeting of the Central Military Commission. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the agenda of the meeting, which comes just days after Kim inspected key arms factories, was \u201cthe issue of making full war preparations\u201d and ensuring \u201cperfect military readiness for a war\u201d. The meeting comes as Seoul and Washington prepare for major joint drills later this month, which the North views as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned could trigger \u201coverwhelming\u201d action in response. At the meeting, Kim dismissed chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details. Pak, who was promoted to the post late last year, may have been dismissed \u201cbecause he did not demonstrate sufficient competence in the field of military operations,\u201d according to Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute. \u201cKim Jong Un has shown a tendency to quickly replace officials when they are judged to be lacking in the ability to control and perform their duties,\u201d he said. Ri may have been the \u201cmost suitable person\u201d to replace Pak, as he has previously held the position for a long time, Cheong added. \u2018Mass-production\u2019 of weapons Kim called for \u201call the munitions industrial establishments to push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment\u201d, the report said. \u201cHe also called for actively conducting actual war drills to efficiently operate (the) newly deployed latest weapons and equipment,\u201d it added. Kim reached an \u201cimportant conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA (Korean People\u2019s Army) in an offensive way,\u201d KCNA reported, referring to the North\u2019s military. The latest KCNA report appeared to be North Korea\u2019s \u201cown response to the upcoming joint military training between Seoul and Washington,\u201d an official from Seoul\u2019s unification ministry told reporters. Referring to photos carried by the North\u2019s Rodong Sinmun newspaper showing Kim pointing to what appeared to be a map of Seoul, he said: \u201cI think he wanted to send a message to the South with a threatening action.\u201d The meeting also discussed preparations for a massive parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea on September 9. Last month, Pyongyang held a major military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, with analysts describing the event as \u201cthe largest, most overt North Korean display of nuclear-capable systems\u201d. North Korea also held a large defence expo to coincide with the parade, with Kim giving the visiting Russian defence minister a tour of the country\u2019s newest and most advanced weaponry, including ballistic missiles and spy drones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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