▲ N.K. leader joins photo session with labor body's members North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) waves while joining a group photo session with participants in the recently held ninth congress of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea in Pyongyang on May 14, 2026, in this photo taken from the North's official Korean Central Television the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)

(LEAD) NK leader-military meeting

(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim chairs army commanders' meeting, orders southern border defense buildup

(ATTN: CHANGES lead, photo; UPDATES throughout)

SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has convened a meeting with army commanders and called for reinforcement of front-line units on the southern border, state media reported Monday, as Pyongyang continues efforts to boost combat readiness.

Kim made the call Sunday in a meeting with the commanding officers of the entire armed forces, stressing that advancement of military technology at key units, particularly front-line forces, plays a critical role in effective deterrence of war, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Urging the military to continue to heighten their awareness against North Korea's "arch" enemy, the North Korean leader highlighted the country's policy of turning the southern border into an "impregnable fortress" and strengthening the front-line units.

To this end, the country plans to remodel the military organizational structure and strengthen the first-line units and other major units as an "important decision to more thoroughly deter war," Kim said, according to the KCNA report.

He also emphasized the commanders' responsibility for building the world's "strongest" military and announced a policy to reform the training system with greater focus on practical drills suited to "modern warfare."

The meeting follows a push by Pyongyang to reinforce its front-line posture. Earlier this month, Kim ordered the military to deploy a new self-propelled howitzer along its southern border by the year's end.

Kim held a photo session with senior military commanders, including Ri Yong-gil, chief of the general staff of the Korean People's Army, and Pak Jong-chon, adviser to the North's defense ministry.

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