SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has inspected a feared special forces unit, ordering them to strike at “lightning speed” once war breaks out, state media reported yesterday.
The inspection comes at a time of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, with multiple threats from the North of an armed response to joint South Korea-US military drills and to UN sanctions imposed after its nuclear test last month.
Kim, who holds the rank of Marshal in the Korean People’s Army, told Unit 1973 during a tour Friday that their mission was to “conquer the strongholds of the enemy”, according Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“He said once a war breaks out, the unit should storm the heart of the enemies in a flash to strike and destroy the targeted military installations and reactionary ruling institutions of the puppet regime at a lightning speed,” KCNA reported.
Kim emphasised the need to conduct training under simulated battle conditions so the unit would be able to operate in enemy-controlled areas, KCNA said. South Korea and the United States launched a military drill this month, prompting Pyongyang to announce the scrapping of the 60-year-old Korean War armistice.
The North has also threatened nuclear strikes on the United States and South Korea as a reprisal for UN sanctions imposed over its third nuclear test.AFP
