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In this photo released by North Korean state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seen visiting the training command post of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army on Aug. 29 and examines documents related to operational plans. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a military plan devised for the occupation of South Korean territory on Tuesday amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula following successive mentions of “war” by the leaders of the two Koreas.

On Thursday, the Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim visited the training command post of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) on Tuesday, where he examined a plan for occupying the southern half of the peninsula as well as “combat documents on the operation plans.”

The newspaper added that the KPA “launched a command drill involving the entire army” on Tuesday in order to “cope with the present situation in which the US and the ‘ROK’ military gangsters have staged extremely dangerous and provocative large-scale joint exercises simulating an all-out war against the DPRK.”

DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name, while ROK stands for Republic of Korea, South Korea’s official name.

It continued, “[Kim] acquainted himself with the plan of the drill staff, which is aimed at occupying the whole territory of the southern half by repelling the enemy’s sudden armed invasion and switching over to an all-out counterattack, and the combat documents on the operation plans of the staff sections of the large combined units and combined units at all levels to carry it out,” sharing that Kim said “that the busy military moves of the US and the ‘ROK’ military gangsters and their frequent and expanded military exercises under different codenames constitute a clear revelation of their scheme for invading the DPRK.”

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification criticized Pyongyang, stating that it “strongly condemns Kim’s blunt expression of his intent to launch a military attack against [South Korea] under the pretext of the South Korea-US joint military exercises,” which took place from Aug. 21 through Thursday.

An official from the ministry commented, “Since Kim came to power, this is the first time an official [North Korean] outlet reported about a ‘command drill involving the entire army’ as well as Kim’s visit to the ‘command post,’”

In this photo released by North Korean state media, missiles are seen being launched by its tactical nuclear operation unit on Aug. 30. (KCNA/Yonhap)

Military confrontation and tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been hovering over the critical level due to mentions of “war” by the leaders of both South and North Korea amid South Korea-US joint military exercises in the South and a “command drill involving the entire army” in the North. During a Cabinet meeting coinciding with the start of Ulchi Freedom Shield, summertime joint exercises between South Korea and the US, on Aug. 21, President Yoon Suk-yeol remarked, “From the outbreak of war, North Korea will cause social unrest and division by utilizing anti-state forces for propaganda and agitation purposes. North Korea will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons in order to accomplish its purpose for war.”

“The most important duty of a president is to protect the lives and the daily life of the public,” stated a former high-ranking government official. “An extraordinary measure to ease tensions is desperately needed ASAP.”

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the KPA revealed that it “staged a tactical nuclear strike drill simulating scorched earth strikes at major command centers and operational airfields of the ‘ROK’ military gangsters on Wednesday night.” That day, while joint drills between South Korea and the US were ongoing, Pyongyang argued that the deployment of US B-1B strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula constituted a “serious threat to the DPRK as it was just pursuant to the scenario for a preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK.”

On Wednesday night, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area towards the East Sea between 11:40 pm and 11:50 pm, calling it a “tactical nuclear strike drill.”

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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