North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sacked the army chief of staff and called for intensified war preparations by increasing arms production and conducting more maneuvers, state media reported on Thursday.
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The announcements were made at a meeting of the Central Military Commission on Wednesday, North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported.
Cigarette in hand, the North Korean leader addressed generals by showing maps, according to footage released by state media, while discussing “major military action” against South Korea.
Last week, Mr. Kim visited several large arms factories for three days from Thursday to Saturday.
The military gathering comes as Seoul and Washington are scheduled to begin their major annual joint military exercises in late August.
Pyongyang views all of these drills as rehearsals for an invasion and has repeatedly warned it will take “crushing” measures to respond.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the North Korean leader fired Chief of Staff Pak Su Il to replace him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said, without giving further details.
Mr. Pak, who was promoted last year, may have been removed from his post “for failing to demonstrate sufficient competence in the field of military operations,” estimates Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.
According to the news agency, the meeting’s agenda included “the issue of preparing for all-out war,” including “obtaining more powerful weapons” to ensure “perfect military preparation for war.”
According to the same source, Mr. Kim “urged all munitions factories to continue mass production of equipment and weapons.”
“He also called for actively conducting real military maneuvers to effectively use the last deployed weapons and equipment.”
The meeting also discussed preparations for a grand parade to mark the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s founding on September 9th.
At the same time, a major defense fair will be held in Pyongyang.
In late July, Kim guided Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu through the country’s newest and most advanced weapons, including ballistic missiles and drones.