Key facts
- Kim Jong Un called for a "military revolution" to build the strongest army.
- North Korea's army companies are urged to become elite, self-sufficient combat units.
- The call came during a conference of company commanders held October 22-23 in Pyongyang.
- Kim cited intensifying competition for adopting weapons like attack drones globally.
- Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at their "worst phase in history," Kim said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the country's army companies to be turned into elite, self-sufficient combat units during a two-day meeting of company commanders in Pyongyang, state media KCNA said on Saturday. The event underscored Kim's consistent policy priority of strengthening the military. In a speech at a conference of company commanders for North Korea's Army on October 22-23, Kim called for every company to fully prepare so that "the goal of the new-era military build-up" can be achieved. "Let us build the strongest army and speed up a military revolution in our style," Kim said. The conference was the first military-wide gathering since the Ninth Congress of North Korea's ruling party in February, which sets the country's direction for the next five years. During that congress, Kim called for stronger conventional armed forces as well as reaffirming efforts to develop nuclear weapons and missiles. Kim also urged the military to improve capabilities for fighting a war, according to a separate KCNA report, amid escalating military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Washington, Seoul and Kyiv have said there are more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia to support its war against Ukraine.