"Now is time to be ready for war," says North Korea leader Kim Jong Un

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Thursday, said that unstable geopolitical situations surrounding his country mean now is the time to be more thoroughly prepared for a war than ever, Yonhap News Agency reported citing KCNA.

During his inspection of the country's primary military university, Kim Jong-il University of Military and Politics which was named after Kim's late father, a military training school for core commanding officers, Kim Jong un underscored the urgency of readiness in light of prevailing circumstances.

According to Yonhap News Agency, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, North Korea has stepped up weapons development in recent years and has forged closer military and political ties with Russia, allegedly aiding Moscow in its war with Ukraine in return for help with strategic military projects.

Further, the North Korean leader has vowed to mobilize all means to deal a "death blow" to the country's enemy without hesitation should it opt for military confrontation with the North, state media said Thursday.

"He said that now is the time to be more thoroughly prepared for a war than ever before and that the DPRK should be more firmly and perfectly prepared for a war, which should be won without fail, not just for a possible war," the KCNA said, referring to the North by its formal name, as per Yonhap News Agency.

DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

Kim was also quoted as instructing the university to nurture new military talents loyal to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and capable of overwhelming the enemy with "ideological, mental, militant, moral and tactical superiority," it added.

Kim inspected lecture rooms, dormitories, and the mess hall, committing to enhancing the living conditions for students.

Photos released by the state media outlet showed Kim speaking to officials in a room filled with blurred maps and a topographic model that appeared to map major roads in South Korea and central Seoul.

The Yonhap News Agency reported citing KCNA on how Kim inspected the living conditions of students and brought "various dishes" for them, an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said the visit was likely aimed at shoring up unity of military officials.

"It appears that the focus of the visit is to encourage the military and thus induce loyalty and unity as observed in the March 24 visit to the Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division," the official said.

During the visit to the tank unit credited for being first to enter Seoul during the 1950-53 Korean War, Kim inspected its facilities such as the unit's cafeteria as soldiers had their meal.

North Korea has been dialing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula with weapons tests and harshly worded rhetoric this year after Kim defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other" in a year-end meeting.

In January, the North's leader called for revising the country's constitution to define South Korea as its "primary foe" and codify a commitment to subjugate the South Korean territory in the event of war.

Last week, it claimed to have successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, saying that all missiles the country has developed are solid-fuel, nuclear-capable with warhead control capability.