Kim Jong Un made his first public field guidance visit to a North Korea military site in the new year, after focusing on civilian sites in the first weeks of 2017.
Pyongyang’s state-controlled news agency KCNA reported on Thursday Kim Jong Un visited Unit 233 of the Korean People’s Army.
According to state media Kim was satisfied with the unit after seeing soldiers were „keeping battle on the mind, whether they are awake or are asleep in these turbulent conditions. “
The military division was described as being „flawlessly prepared for battle mobilization preparation with their combat skills, and have been maintaining guard posts and strengthening their positions, turning them into an impregnable fortress. “
Kim refrained from making anti-Seoul statements in his most recent visit, choosing instead to focus on his affection for his soldiers, a South Korean unification ministry official told reporters on Thursday, according to local news service News 1.
KCNA stated, „Kim inquired about the lives of soldiers with the heart of a parent,“ during his guidance.
Accompanying Kim was Hwang Pyong So, the political director of the army and Ri Yong Gil, the director-general of military operations.
The North Korean leader reportedly presented binoculars, automatic firearms, machine guns as presents to soldiers and posed for souvenir photographs with troops, according to KCNA.
Kim has been active in January, making public appearances at a bag factory in Pyongyang, the Kim Jong Suk Textile Mill, a kimchi factory and a fish-processing factory in Kumsan Port.
Kim Jong Un cut back field guidance activities in 2016 and avoided being seen in public immediately after major provocations, according to Seoul.
The North Korean leader avoids areas where he is unpopular. Last year 61 percent of Kim’s visits took place in the city of Pyongyang, followed by visits to Kangwon Province.
Kim rarely took trips to North Hamgyong Province for civilian purposes, not even when the area was badly damaged due to heavy floods that left at least tens of thousands of North Koreans without shelter.
