North Korean Leader Urges Boosting Combat Capability

The unit was formed as the first tank unit of the North Korean revolutionary armed forces in August 1948 on the initiative of then-President Kim Il Sung.

"Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected the headquarters of the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division of the Korean People's Army (KPA) and the First Tank Armored Infantry Regiment under the direct control of the division on March 24," KCNA reported.

The North Korean leader was accompanied by Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee Pak Jong Chon, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam, and Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, the report said.

"After being briefed on the division's plan for offensive and defensive operations by its commander, Kim Jong-un examined combat documents and indicated the operational combat tasks and orientation of combat training of the combined units under the division," the state media reported.

He encouraged his armored forces to sharpen war preparations in the face of growing tensions with South Korea.

Kim has recently ordered heightened readiness for potential war, during his visit to a military training base in the country’s Western region amid recent joint South Korea-US military exercises.

Earlier this month, the North Korean leader said the military must “dynamically usher in a new heyday of intensifying the war preparations in line with the requirements of the prevailing situation".

“Our army should … steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness,” Kim added.

North Korea’s leader has repeatedly stressed his government is building up its defensive military arsenal in preparation for war by the West that could “break out at any time” on the peninsula.

Last month, Kim repeated that Pyongyang would not hesitate to "put an end" to South Korea if attacked.