Kim Jong-un calls for 'hostile perspective' in artillery drills

Staying with North Korea.

Kim Jong-un has doubled down on military readiness while overseeing an artillery drill this past Wednesday during which he called for a "hostile perspective" toward enemy forces.

This phrase has often been used to refer to South Korea or the U.S. but on Wednesday he stopped short of naming a country.

An official at the Unification Ministry here in Seoul on Thursday downplayed the statement claiming it appeared to be aimed at internal discipline rather than an external threat.

Analysts here believe North Korea may be incorporating real-world combat tactics into its drills given the regime's dispatch of troops to Russia's war against Ukraine.