This undated picture released from the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency on Aug 21, 2023 shows DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un (right) watching a strategic cruise missile being launched from a guard ship marine of the 2nd Surface Ship Squadron of the East Sea fleet at an undisclosed location at sea off the coast. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

SEOUL - Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected a surface ship flotilla affiliated with the East Sea Fleet of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Navy to learn about its preparedness for combat, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday, without specifying the date of the inspection.

Kim boarded a patrol ship about to perform alert duty and learned about its weapons and preparedness for combat. He also oversaw the marines conducting a strategic cruise missile test, according to the report.

Kim asked the KPA Navy to expedite the modernization of its military equipment and hone its capability for actual war

Kim asked the KPA Navy to expedite the modernization of its military equipment and hone its capability for actual war, it added.

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According to a previous KCNA report, a spokesperson for the KPA General Staff issued a statement on Friday, condemning a US strategic reconnaissance plane intrusion into the air above the DPRK's Exclusive Economic Zone on its eastern waters, another round of such intrusions since late July.

This undated picture released from the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Aug 21, 2023 shows DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un (center) visiting the 2nd Surface Ship Squadron of the East Sea fleet at an undisclosed location along the coast. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

The DPRK is considering a constant deployment of a ship loaded with new-type anti-aircraft missiles to the water zone, in response to the US "dangerous military provocations," the statement warned.