Kim Jong Un supervises North Korea’s air drills, pushes for enhanced war preparation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the country’s air force drills and emphasized the need to intensify war preparation, according to state media. 

Kim inspected anti-aircraft combat and air strike drills conducted by North Korea’s 1st Air Division on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The North Korean leader called for all military units to achieve “a breakthrough in war preparation,” according to the outlet.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is cheered by military pilots during a visit to an airfield, May 16, 2025. (KCNA via Reuters)

Footage of the drills aired on state TV showed a MiG-29 jet launching a missile that appeared to be a North Korean version of a Russian-developed mid- to long-range air-to-air missile, according to Hong Min, North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Earlier this month, the North Korean leader supervised a missile test, inspected tank and munitions plants, and made a rare stop at the Russian embassy in Pyongyang to reaffirm the nation’s alliance with Moscow. He also oversaw tank firing drills and special operations training.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks to military members as he inspects projectiles during a visit to an airfield, May 16, 2025. (KCNA via Reuters)

North Korea also condemned the U.S. State Department for including it on a list of countries that do not fully cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts — a designation it has received annually since 1997, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. 

“The more the U.S. provokes the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] with unnecessary and inefficient malicious acts, the further it will escalate the irreconcilable hostility between the DPRK and the U.S.,” a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks to military members as he inspects projectiles during a visit to an airfield, May 16, 2025. (KCNA via Reuters)

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“The DPRK will … take effective and proper measures to cope with the U.S. hostile provocations in all spheres,” the spokesperson continued.

Reuters contributed to this report.