SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il touted his country’s “invincible” army during a visit to a military base, state media reported Sunday amid heightened tensions with neighboring South Korea.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim expressed satisfaction with the military’s combat readiness, saying his soldiers could “beat back the enemy’s invasion at a single stroke.” Kim also called his isolated country a fortress and urged soldiers to become warriors during another inspection to a military boot camp, the news agency said in a separate report. It did not say when Kim visited the unit.
Kim periodically visits military bases to ensure the loyalty of his troops, the backbone of his iron-fisted rule, but the latest announcement came a week after the North threatened to turn South Korea to “ashes” in a pre-emptive strike.
The warning came in response to remarks by South Korea’s top military officer that Seoul could target suspected North Korean nuclear sites if there were signs of a pending atomic attack.
South Korea has rejected the North’s demand for an apology for the remark and urged the North to ease rising tensions on the peninsula and stop trying to provoke the South.
The North also has called South Korean President Lee Myung-bak a “traitor” and warned that South Korea would face unspecified consequences for Lee’s pro-U.S. policy. Lee took office in February with pledges to get tough on the North.
Lee has criticized his two liberal predecessors for giving unconditional aid to North Korea and is a strong advocate of improved ties with the United States to resolve the standoff over the North’s nuclear programs.
The tension between the two Koreas comes as international efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons remain deadlocked. The North pledged to declare all its nuclear programs for eventual dismantlement, but Washington says Pyongyang has not yet provided a full declaration.
Chief U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill is scheduled to meet his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, on Tuesday in Singapore to try to move forward the stalled process.
