North Korea's Kim calls for military readiness against any 'provocation'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 8, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for his military to be ready to respond to any "provocation" by the enemy, state media said on Friday, after Pyongyang vowed to deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons along its border with the South.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased since the North last month launched a spy satellite, prompting Seoul to suspend a key clause in a 2018 inter-Korean military accord and Pyongyang in turn to declare it was no longer bound by the pact.