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Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un has ordered the military to get all nuclear weapons ready for action, the official KCNA news agency reported Friday.
While watching a recent firing drill of ballistic rockets, Kim ordered that "all the nuclear strike means of the Strategic Force" that targets South Korean combat command centers and U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific region be ready for action.
It is the second time that Kim has urged the military to get ready for launching nuclear attacks. When he guided a test firing of a new multiple rocket launcher on March 3, Kim ordered the army to be prepared to fire nuclear warheads at any time and to develop more and advanced nuclear weapons.
While issuing the new order, Kim emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between nuke research and rocket research, and to conduct more nuclear tests in the future.
Kim ordered to ensure "a prompt and safe operation of nuclear attack system" in case of an emergency and to establish "a unitary system of command and control over nuclear force."
On the same occasion, Kim also warned South Korea against staging "another reckless military action" in collaboration with the United States.
On Monday, South Korea and the United States started their annual joint annual military drills that will run through April 30. The drills are reported to be their largest scale ever.
On Thursday, the DPRK reportedly fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in a move believed to be in retaliation for the U.S.-South Korea joint war games.
The Korean Peninsula has seen a rapid increase of tension since the DPRK conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 in defiance of UN resolutions.
The country also launched a rocket in February, using banned ballistic missile technology.
In response, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on March 2, imposing the toughest sanctions on the DPRK in a bid to curb its nuclear and missile programs.
