North Korean paratroopers injured in Kim-led drills, agency says

An unknown number of North Korean paratroopers are said to have been injured last month during a high-profile military exercise meant to demonstrate that Kim Jong Un’s forces were “fully prepared for war.”

The March 15 drill—watched by the North Korean leader and his young daughter Ju Ae—involved several airborne units, some of whose soldiers collided with one another as their parachutes failed to fully open in strong winds, South Korean officials told the Yonhap news agency last week.

The training exercise was announced the following day by North Korea‘s official Korean Central News Agency, which said it helped Pyongyang judge the “real war capabilities” of its forces.”

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The KCNA report did not mention any casualties or unexpected incidents. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their highest level in decades, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol taking a harder line on his northern neighbor while drawing closer to the United States and Japan.

Kim, meanwhile, has continued a spate of ballistic missile tests, including last week’s launch of a nuclear-capable hypersonic warhead, while furthering allying himself with Russia.

The Kremlin, a historical Cold War ally, is thought to be assisting Pyongyang’s expanding spy satellite program. In return, Western governments say, Russia has received North Korean-made weapons—ballistic missiles and artillery rounds—which have been used during Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Moscow and Pyongyang both deny trading arms, an act that would violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, including those supported by Russia.

Last month’s large-scale exercise, in which hundreds of North Korean paratroopers were photographed jumping out of cargo planes in a simulated attack on a mock enemy, appeared to be a direct response to the annual Freedom Shield war games held by the U.S. and South Korea.

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It took place in a two-week period in which 40-year-old Kim was pictured in state media reports personally guiding military exercises involving battle tank units and rocket forces, often alongside senior Workers’ Party officials.

Kim and his daughter watched the airborne exercise from an observation post, according to the KCNA, which described North Korean forces as “fully demonstrating their perfect combat capability to occupy the enemy region at a stroke once an order is issued.”

Kim, who reportedly watched “with great satisfaction,” said his military proved it was “fully prepared for war in all aspects and firmly maintains perfect combat readiness,” the KCNA said.