By Du Chaoping

The DPRK’s top leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw an artillery fire competition on March 12. This was a new round of massive combat readiness exercise held by the DPRK artillery force after launching unidentified projectiles on March 2 and 9.

Rounds of training exercises were organized in two weeks

The Korean Central News Agency reported that the artillery fire competition on March 12 was held between artillery units under the 7th corps and the 9th corps of the DPRK People’s Army, being the third exercise guided by DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in March.

Mr. Kim had inspected the People’s Army’s long-range artillery force on March 2, during which two unidentified projectiles were fired to the eastern sea areas of the peninsula. On March 9, he guided another launch of three unidentified projectiles from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong province to the eastern waters, saying he was greatly satisfied.

Fire competition demonstrates DPRK artillery force’s war-preparedness 

Compared with the launch of unidentified projectiles that are believed to be ultra-large rocket artilleries on March 2 and 9, the competition on March 12 saw the DPRK People’s Army use old-style artilleries and rocket guns that had been commissioned for many years. Such an arrangement had a significant meaning, that is, to demonstrate that both the new rocket units and the old artillery units have high-level war-preparedness and strong combat capability.

Documents released by the ROK Ministry of National Defense shows that the three corps/brigade-level units of the DPRK People’s Army are the Reserve Military Training Unit (RMTU), the Worker-Peasant Militia (WPRG) and the Young Red Guards (RYG). The RMTU is fully staffed, armed with new equipment and deployed near the 38th Parallel, and the RYG is mechanized and deployed in places like Pyongyang. The participating 7th corps and 9th corps in the artillery fire competition are equipped with old-style artilleries and understaffed, but have maintained a good state of war-preparedness.

The DPRK issued a stern warning at the beginning of this year regarding the current situation on the Korean peninsula and the DPRK-US tension, but hasn’t taken any confrontational military move yet. The aforementioned artillery exercises for war-preparedness and the earlier launch of unidentified projectiles are just a continuation of its short-range weapon test program with nothing unusual.

The continuous test firings and fire competitions of the DPRK artillery force can fully display its combat readiness and resolve and capability to safeguard national security. Mr. Kim vowed to strengthen the artillery force of the People's Army into the world's strongest arms of service.