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North Korea's Kim oversees military artillery firing contest

Published: 30 May. 2025, 13:54

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees firing contest among military artillery units and said maximizing the demand for training is the ″shortcut″ to building a powerful army, state media reported Friday. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a firing contest among military artillery units and said that maximizing the demand for training is the "shortcut" to building a powerful army, state media reported Friday.

Kim watched the contest held among artillery subunits of large combined units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) the previous day, accompanied by Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the ruling party's Central Military Commission, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

He stressed the importance of frequently organizing firing contests under conditions resembling actual warfare to train artillerymen to accurately hit targets at any time and in any situation, according to the KCNA.

The leader also noted, "Prioritizing training and intensifying training are absolute loyalty to the party … and making exact demand on training to the maximum is the shortcut to training the powerful army," it said.

The state media also reported that Kim positively assessed the "qualitative changes" being made in "strengthening the war capability of the artillery in conformity with the developing aspects and changing trend of modern warfare."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a firing contest among military artillery units and said maximizing the demand for training is the ″shortcut″ to building a powerful army, state media reported Friday. [YONHAP]

A group of top military officials also attended the event, including Defense Minister No Kwang-chol; Ri Yong-gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA; and Jong Kyong-thaek, director of the KPA's General Political Bureau.

During his visit to the Defense Ministry in February, Kim designated 2025 as the year of military training and has since overseen various military activities to emphasize intensive training and the acquisition of modern warfare capabilities.

Yonhap