2026-03-20 KOREAN NEWS

 THE EMBASSY OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO SWITZERLAND

No 29/26
Mar 20, 2026

1. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Oversees Coordinated Offensive Tactical Drill of Infantrymen and Tankmen's Sub-units

2. KCNA Commentary on Expanded Japanese Munitions Industry

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Oversees Coordinated Offensive Tactical Drill of Infantrymen and Tankmen's Sub-units

Pyongyang, March 20 (KCNA) -- 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, visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defence Corps of the Korean People's Army on March 19 to oversee a coordinated offensive tactical drill of infantrymen and tankmen's sub-units.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was greeted on the spot by No Kwang Chol, minister of National Defence of the DPRK, Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, Kim Song Gi, director of the KPA General Political Bureau, Kim Jong Sik, first vice department director of the WPK Central Committee, and major commanding officers of the KPA.

The tactical drill was aimed at getting familiar with the coordinated order and combat methods in the tactical sub-units' offensive action to expand successes in their attack through an assault of tanks and infantrymen after striking, raiding and occupying the enemy's anti-armor defence line.

Involved in the drill were a company of the cavalry regiment, main armored unit belonging to the reserve operational group of the General Staff, and special operations sub-units.

When the tactical drill was launched, various kinds of attack drones struck the enemy's commanding base and anti-armor firing positions on the basis of real-time reconnaissance data.

Anti-tank missiles of an armored car sub-unit hit targets in salvo under the tactical fire support against the unexpectedly-emerging armored defence means of the enemy.

The rear strike sub-units destroyed the enemy drones and armed helicopters from their ambush position and then raided and occupied the enemy's anti-armor defence line and firing positions to provide the conditions for attack by the tanks and infantrymen.

There took place a demonstration charge by the tank company of the cavalry regiment equipped with new-type main battle tanks.

Through the drill, its aim was attained to confirm the tankmen's capabilities for an actual war and each sub-unit's combat cooperation and action methods according to different tactical missions.

Kim Jong Un said that he came to clearly recognize that the principle of intensifying practical trainings under the simulated conditions of an actual war has been adhered to recently in the training of tactical units, too, while seeing all sub-units in the drill share real-time information and ensure the unity of combat cooperation and action under various unexpected and extremely difficult combat situations to break through the enemy's strong anti-armor defence line by means of powerful strike, prompt raid and occupation and high mobility.

Watching with great pleasure the tanks violently make a charge, shaking the earth, he expressed satisfaction that the majestic scene of tanks imposingly advancing forward represents the inherent bravery and pluck of our army.

Saying that the new-type main battle tank, which made its debut to demonstrate the amazing combat efficiency again, is very superior, he added this is unequalled in the world in its striking power and mobility and, especially, self-defence capacity. Our army will be equipped with such most powerful tanks, he said with pride.

That day, there were various tests for examining the new-type main battle tank's active protection system.

The tank intercepted 100 percent anti-tank missiles and drones attacking it from different positions and directions to clearly prove the efficiency of its superior active protection system.

Acquainting himself again with its combat performance after the tactical drill was over, Kim Jong Un said:

"We have attained great successes and progress in modernizing the tank-building industry.

This new-type main battle tank, a proud fruit of the strategic plan the Party Central Committee worked out and has resolutely pressed ahead with for the second revolution in the armored forces, encapsulates our-style technology of armored weapon system.

The development of the tank's core technology, to which we directed special efforts, has taken seven years.

The Party Central Committee, through the role of its guidance team, and the Academy of Defence Science, through its correct specialist guidance, have opened a brighter prospect for the tank-building industry.

The armor structure and power system designs, integrated automatic remote-controlled strike system, electronic warfare complex, guided missile and active self-defensive system have remarkably improved. All the components of this tank are completely suitable for ensuring its powerful striking capability, improving its survivability and providing convenience for the service by its crew.

In developing this tank, we have attached special importance to improving the rate of its survival.

Applied to this tank are various special technologies developed for improving its survival rate, and it is equipped with a mobile self-defensive complex capable of reliably destroying such attacking air targets as different kinds of anti-tank guided missiles and UAVs at a high level of precision through a system of detecting threats from all directions. Therefore, I am sure that no armored weapon with as strong self-defensive capability as that of this tank exists in the world.

In particular, it is a great change that our armored forces that were ineffective during night operations have completely overcome their combat limitations.

The combat performance of our main battle tank is incomparably superior.

From now on, our ground forces will be equipped with these superior tanks extensively, and our armored forces developed onto a higher stage."

He stressed, in particular, that it is important to pay careful attention to the issue of steadily improving the main battle tank's performance so that it can hold a leading position and make good use of its combat value in the battle fields in conformity with the trend of ever-developing modern warfare.

Highly appreciating that all the drills have been recently switched into the ones with scientific and practical forms and methods for an actual war, he said that our army units at all levels should achieve rapid successes in completing war preparations by giving full play to the soaring spirit without letup.

As he has repeatedly stressed, the People's Army should organize training for an actual war and training competitions aimed to improve the combat efficiency, more intensively and more frequently, so that it can swiftly and exactly perform any combat missions under different situations in contingency, he said. He called for taking a revolutionary measure to further intensify the training revolution.

Commanding officers of the KPA and the combatants involved in the tactical drill pledged to achieve proud successes in perfecting combat preparations and unsparingly dedicate their sweat and efforts to increasing the combat power and thus remain loyal to Kim Jong Un who left his immortal and sacred imprints in the training ground to bestow great honor upon them and inspire their high spirit and added to the militant will and matchless bravery of the People's Army.

 

KCNA Commentary on Expanded Japanese Munitions Industry

Pyongyang, March 20 (KCNA) -- The militarist entity of Japan, which has completely removed its veil of "exclusive defense", is openly coming out to the world.

Recently, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Restoration Party of Japan reportedly submitted to the prime minister a proposal on lifting in a principled way the ban on the export of all its weapons and equipment including lethal weapons.

The details of the proposal call for removing the five principles of the past that have limited Japan's equipment export to "disaster relief, transportation, guard, surveillance and clearing".

It is reported that if the proposal is formally passed through the prime minister, an issue of revising the system of arms export will be discussed even in the spring this year.

If this turns into a reality, Japan will be allowed to export fighters, escort ships, submarines and other lethal weapons and equipment to the countries with which it has signed an agreement on the export of "defense equipment" and the transfer of technology.

Japan has so far concluded the agreement with 17 countries and several Asia-Pacific countries are among them.

What should not be overlooked is that Japan is trying to remove the brake that it set as the principle not to transfer even non-lethal equipment to the dispute parties in the past.

This will legally allow Japan to export and support the lethal weapons to the "fellow country" where armed conflict broke out.

Militarist Japan's intention has become far too emboldened.

Dangerous and sinister intention is behind Japan's attempt to openly export the offensive lethal weapons to the countries with which it has signed the agreement on the export of the "defense equipment" and the transfer of technology.

Japan is drastically increasing its military expenditure every year and getting hell-bent on the development and introduction of various kinds of offensive weapons.

Based on this, the Japanese munitions industry, which has been limited to the delivery of military equipment to the "Self-Defense Forces", is expanding day by day to demand a new outlet and, thereby, is trying to advance to the hot spots of the world to meet its demand.

At the same time, Japan is trying to verify and confirm in a versatile way the advantages and disadvantages of its military hardware including the ability to operate in real war and the lethal effect in different parts of the world and rapidly increase the preemptive attack capability of the island country by rapidly updating the weapon systems.

Japan's moves to export massive offensive lethal weapons are a grave challenge to global peace and security.

This will certainly cause a serious arms race among the countries in the surrounding region, escalate the geopolitical crisis and, furthermore, make the world situation more unstable.

It is the intention of Japan to turn its economy into the one based on huge munitions industry as soon as possible and accelerate the militarization by relying on it and, at the same time, create a favorable environment for reinvasion by creating an imbalance of strength in the region and the world.

Japan should clearly understand. The road of reinvasion, which the war criminal state is trying to open up as a new outlet for arms export, will lead it to the irreversible ruin.