Kim Urges North Korea to Build Strongest Army

Kim Jong Un presided over a two-day conference of North Korean army company commanders in Pyongyang, urging them to turn their units into elite, self-sufficient forces capable of carrying out operations and strengthening the country’s combat readiness. He framed the effort as part of a goal to build the world’s strongest armed forces during the new five-year planning period, while emphasizing ideological loyalty, strict discipline and improved training and management. North Korean state media described the gathering as the first military-wide meeting since the ruling Workers’ Party’s Ninth Congress. The event also followed rumors of Kim’s death on social media, which South Korea’s intelligence service said were unfounded.