North Korea prepares for 'real war', Kim Jong Un's new orders amid Russia-Ukraine war
The statement by Kim comes after North Korea's deployment of defence troops and weapons to aid Russia during its nearly 30-month-long offensive with Ukraine.
State media had also reported earlier that Kim Jong Un had voiced 'unconditional support' for Moscow in the nation's war with Ukraine as a part of his recent talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Visuals from the state run Korean Central Television on Thursday showed army troops from artillery units firing shells towards the sea, with Kim looking through binoculars from an observation post. Although he was guarded by two military officials, the location of the event was not disclosed.
North Korea extends its helping hand towards Moscow
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies claimed that Pyongyang had sent more than 10,000 security troops to Russia's Kursk region in the last year. Alongside troops, it had also reportedly furnished multiple artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.
The Guardian quoted Ukraine's military intelligence agency saying that North Korea bolstered Russia's ammunitions and that it supplied 40% of the same used by Russia in its war against Kyiv, which in turn has dramatically increased arms production at home, with Moscow paying Pyongyang directly.
Fighting in the war hit regions on the borders of the Russian territory, about 600 North Korean soldiers have reportedly lost their lives and several others have been wounded, South Korean officials at Seoul said.
It was also reported that a North Korean KN-23 missile, which the country had designed to strike South Korean targets, had hit a residential building in Kyiv, killing 12 civilians.
Global sanctions draw North Korea, Russia closer
After North Korea ushered in support for Russia's offensive with Ukraine, Moscow has transferred advanced weaponry and has helped upgrade the accuracy of North Korea's KN-23 ballistic missiles, which have since targeted Ukrainian urban centres, said the report by The Guardian.
The two heavily sanctioned nations also signed a military deal last year. The deal comprised a mutual defence clause, during a rare visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea's Pyongyang.
(With agency inputs)
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