NK leader says Korean Peninsula inching closer to armed conflict

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right and his daughter, Ju-ae, watch a performance celebrating New Year in Pyongyang, Dec. 31 in this photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for perfecting the military's readiness posture, saying the Korean Peninsula is "inching closer to the brink of armed conflict" and a clash could happen at any time, state media said Monday.

Kim made the remark during a meeting with major commanding officers of the Korean People's Army at the office building of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

During the meeting, Kim analyzed in detail "the critical security environment on the Korean Peninsula inching closer to the brink of armed conflict as the days go by and the nature of the U.S. and other hostile forces' military confrontation moves," the KCNA said.

"He said that the situation indicates the urgency to further sharpen the treasured sword for safeguarding the security and peace of the DPRK and perfect the army's regular military response posture," the KCNA said, referring to the acronym for the North's official name.

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Kim also said it is a fait accompli that an "armed conflict may occur any time."

"The more dynamically the Korean revolution advances, the more desperately the U.S. imperialists and the ROK clan try to stop it," he was quoted as saying, stressing that "Our army should frustrate any forms of provocations of the enemy without fail with firm hostility toward the enemy."

ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

"If the enemy opt for military confrontation and provocation against the DPRK, our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without moment's hesitation," he said. (Yonhap)