Kim Jong Un, the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, visited a special operations training base and emphasized the modernization of sniper weapons and practical training.
The Chairperson visited a special operations training base under the direct control of the General Staff of the People's Army on the 27th and inspected the training conditions of the sniper and special operations units, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency on the 28th.
The Chairperson checked the 'new type sniper rifle' designed and developed by the National Defense Science Institute and expressed satisfaction, saying, "It is very gratifying that our units now have this new generation of sniper weapons."
The Chairperson emphasized the importance of the sniper's role in combat, stating that a sniper is "a hunter who kills enemy soldiers with pinpoint accuracy in the battlefield," and stressed that "strengthening the special operations capability and specialized sniper capability is a crucial task in our military construction."
He also forecast that "the Central Military Commission will review the establishment of a central sniper training center under the General Staff in the future."
In particular, he stressed that "to gain absolute superiority in today's battlefield, where armed equipment is being developed competitively, we must actively accelerate the modernization of armed equipment, continuously explore and apply our innovative tactics and combat methods, and rigorously train soldiers to master them."
He also instructed that the camouflage uniforms for the sniper units to be supplied to the Ministry of National Defense from this year should be produced according to the conditions and seasonal characteristics of the mission area.
The agency also released photos of the Chairperson speaking to snipers wearing camouflage uniforms resembling the foliage.
The Chairperson remarked, "Equipping special operations forces as a core capability for conducting wars and making them the strongest combat group is the most urgent task in preparing our military for warfare," and requested "the modernization of armed equipment" and "our innovative tactics and combat methods."
The Chairperson observed the live-fire training of the sniper unit and the comprehensive special physical training of the special operations forces.
During this visit to the special operations training base, key officials from the Labor Party Central Committee, including Jo Chun Ryong, the secretary of the committee, and Kim Jong Sik, the first deputy director of the committee, accompanied him, and on site, Defense Minister No Kwang Chol and Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong Gil welcomed the Chairperson.
The Chairperson has frequently visited the training sites of special operations forces after deploying large-scale units, including the 11th Corps, to Ukraine to assist Russia, emphasizing the modernization of conventional arms, practical training, and enhancement of combat power.