Kim Jong Un urges ‘beefed-up preparation for combat’

Kim Jong Un urges ‘beefed-up preparation for combat’. January. 20, 2017 07:18. by Sung-Ha Joo zsh75@donga.com. With North Korea beefing up its threat to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile day after day, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un paid an inspection visit to a military unit for the first time in the New Year. The North’s Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday that Kim Jong Un visited a company directly under the North Korean military’s 233 Unit and inspected preparation for combat and training situation there. The North Korean military’s 233 Unit was made known to the outside world for the first time when his father Kim Jong Il visited a duck farm in 2004, but it is still not known what kind of mission the unit is tasked with.

Kim Jong Un made successive visits to Pyongyang bag factory, Kim Jong Sook Pyongyang textile factory, Ryukyong kimchi factory, Kumsanpo fermented fish processing factory, and Kumsanpo fisheries business office for about 10 days in the New Year, while focusing on the effort to promote his image as a “people-caring’ leader.” Watchers say that the fact Kim has started visiting military units after visiting sites of people’s economic livelihoods thus far, could be a prelude to the North’s military provocations.

Visiting the military unit, Kim Jong Un ordered the military to beef up preparation for combat. “We should take a good care of soldiers’ living as if we are their own parents to ensure that they can only focus on military exercise,” Kim said. He made the remarks apparently in a bid to increase the military’s morale.

Kim’s order also seems to be related to the killing of seven members of a platoon by a rookie solider in Yangkang Province on January 7. According to informed sources on North Korea, the rookie solider who had joined the military last year was severely beaten by his platoon’s vice chief for failure to keep his guarding schedule at the security platoon for Hyesan Customs Office, he killed seven soldiers including the platoon’s chief, vice chief and soldiers on the spot.

Meanwhile, as military draft-dodging has become more rampant, the North Korean authority is visiting all schools before students’ graduation and checking physical conditions of the students subject to conscription beginning this year, Radio Free Asia reported on Thursday. The measure is apparently taken because some rich and powerful parents fabricate health certificates of their children by paying bribes to enable their children to dodge compulsory military service.