North Korea: Kim Jong-un calls for the world’s “strongest army”

Kim Jong-un led the third conference of company commanders in Pyongyang on October 22 and 23, the first gathering of the Korean People’s Army since the Workers’ Party congress in February. He called for building “the world’s most powerful armed forces” by strengthening companies and accelerating a military revolution tailored to North Korea. Central Military Commission vice-chairman Pak Jong-chon, Defence Minister Kim Song-gi and Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong-gil attended. The conference followed several missile tests claimed by Pyongyang this year, including launches described as hypersonic; Japan’s defence minister had counted at least 15 missiles and other projectiles fired since January.