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- Pledge came after South Korea and US staged joint air drills
SEOUL: North Korea鈥檚 top army officials have said they will expand and intensify military drills to ensure their readiness for war, state media reported Tuesday, ahead of a massive parade.
The pledge came at a Monday meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un and follows last week鈥檚 staging of joint air drills by South Korea and the United States.
The agenda was topped by 鈥渢he issue of constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills of the (Korean People鈥檚 Army) ... strictly perfecting the preparedness for war,鈥� the official Korean Central News Agency said.
The meeting of North Korea鈥檚 central military commission comes as commercial satellite imagery suggests 鈥渆xtensive parade preparations鈥� are underway in Pyongyang ahead of key state holidays this month.
North Korea celebrates the founding anniversary of its armed forces on Wednesday and the 鈥淒ay of the Shining Star鈥� on February 16. The latter is the birthday of Kim Jong Il, son of North Korea鈥檚 founder Kim Il Sung and father of Kim Jong Un.
Seoul and Washington have moved to bolster joint military drills following a year of sanctions-busting weapons tests, infuriating Pyongyang, which sees them as rehearsals for invasion.
Last week, the security allies staged joint air drills featuring strategic bombers and stealth fighters, prompting Pyongyang to warn such exercises could 鈥渋gnite an all-out showdown.鈥�
The joint exercises, their first this year, came a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart vowed to boost security cooperation to counter an increasingly belligerent nuclear-armed North.
North Korea鈥檚 foreign minister has said the move to ramp up joint drills crossed 鈥渁n extreme red line.鈥�
Experts say Monday鈥檚 meeting of North Korea鈥檚 top brass aimed to highlight the country鈥檚 readiness to face down upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States 鈥� and also stress it was prepared for an actual war.
鈥淣orth Korea is hinting about the possibility of military action in the future in the name of operational and combat training and war preparedness,鈥� said Hong Min, researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Kim recently called for an 鈥渆xponential鈥� increase in Pyongyang鈥檚 nuclear arsenal, including mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons and developing new missiles for nuclear counterstrikes.
Kim has also said his country must 鈥渙verwhelmingly beef up military muscle鈥� in 2023 in response to what Pyongyang calls US and South Korean hostility.