Kim Jong-un tells North Korean company commanders to build strongest army
First army-wide commanders' meeting since February party congress, Seoul proposes border talks as Pyongyang posts new units at firing positions
Images
El líder norcoreano Kim Jong Un hace gestos durante una conferencia de comandantes de compañía del Ejército de Corea del Norte, en Pyongyang, Corea del Norte (KCNA vía REUTERS)
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Ceremonia de puesta en servicio del destructor «Kang Kon» en el puerto de Wonsan, Corea del Norte, el 6 de septiembre de 2026 (KCNA vía REUTERS)
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Kim Yo-jong, hermana del dictador de Corea del Norte, Kim Jong-un (REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Archivo)
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Kim Jong-un has ordered the companies of the North Korean army to remake themselves as elite, self-sufficient combat units, telling a two-day conference of company commanders in Pyongyang to "build the strongest army" and accelerate a military revolution "in our own way," state media reported on Saturday. The conference, held on 22 and 23 October, was the first gathering of company commanders from across the army since the ninth congress of the Workers' Party in February.
That congress fixed the country's direction for the next five years: stronger conventional forces, with the nuclear and missile programmes reaffirmed. Saturday's KCNA report carried the same programme down to the army's basic tactical units, quoting Kim on the need to reinforce the operational capacity of every company toward "the goal of military strengthening of the new era" — the formations that would man any border the two Koreas argue over.
The same week brought a move in the opposite direction. On Friday South Korea's defence ministry proposed military talks with the North to precisely delimit the land border and restore communication channels, after an explosion inside the demilitarised zone wounded three South Korean soldiers last month. Seoul attributes the blast to landmines laid by the North, a charge Pyongyang rejects. Deputy defence minister Kim Hong-cheol said dates and venues could be settled through Panmunjom, that the UN Command might take part, and that Seoul hoped for a "positive response" — while noting that a similar proposal last year received none. The ministry warned it was difficult to anticipate what other incidents could occur if the situation were left unaddressed.
Pyongyang's position has been stated by Kim Yo-jong, the leader's sister. She announced that new military units had been deployed in "firing position" near the border, called the situation grave, said further "tactical attack means" were being weighed for the area, and declared that loudspeakers would be mounted along the frontier "within days," with unspecified "new means of countermeasure" on standby. The South Korean military, for its part, has confirmed its own loudspeakers and warning shots as "legitimate defensive measures" against North Korean personnel in the zone.
The offer from Seoul is a meeting about where, exactly, the border lies. What has come back so far are firing positions, loudspeakers and countermeasures no one will describe.