N'korean Leader, Kim Jong Un Announce War, Sacks Top General

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sacked his top military general and announced his military men for war.

Pak Su Il, the Chief of the General Staff, was dismissed after about seven months in the role, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He will be replaced by General Ri Yong Gil, the previous army chief of staff. It is unclear whether he will continue in his role as defence minister. Kim met with the Central Military Commission on Thursday and called for expanded military production, the testing of new equipment, and "actual war drills." KCNA said the conversations with the Commission this week were to discuss the "issue of making full war preparations" to ensure "perfect military readiness for war." The change in gears comes as the United States and South Korea prepare for a large-scale combined military exercise. State media said Thursday's meeting with the ruling party's Central Military Commission was to discuss advancing his military's war readiness. The meeting also sought to establish offensive countermeasure plans to deter adversaries, which state media said were getting more blatant in their "reckless military confrontation" with North Korea. In recent days, Kim has stepped up demonstrations, test-firing more than 100 missiles since the start of last year. The escalation has driven tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the highest point in years. Experts say Kim's nuclear push is aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power so he can eventually negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength. After talks of boosting North Korean frontline units and stepping up war drills to incorporate new strategies and weapons, Kim signed an order to implement unspecified "important military measures," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said. He stressed that the military must acquire "more powerful strike means" to bolster his nuclear deterrent and make speedier deployments of those weapons to combat units. He called for the country's munitions industry to step up mass production of various weapons and systems, and for the military to actively conduct "actual war drills" to digest those systems and enhance its war-fighting capabilities, KCNA said. The order came as the United States and South Korea were preparing for their annual joint military exercises, which North Korea has long condemned as a rehearsal for invasion. The exercises are scheduled to begin on August 10 and run for about two weeks. Kim's latest moves are likely to further raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and could make it more difficult for the United States and North Korea to resume nuclear negotiations.