Kim Jong Un Orders a 'Military Revolution': Every North Korean Army Company to Become an Elite Combat Unit, KCNA Says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told his army's company commanders to turn every company into an elite, self-sufficient combat unit and to build 'the strongest army', state media KCNA said on Saturday, in the first military-wide gathering since the ruling party's Ninth Congress in February. The two-day Pyongyang conference on October 22-23 came in the same week South Korea's military proposed talks to clarify the border after an explosion inside the Demilitarised Zone strained ties further.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk24 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the country's army companies to be turned into elite, self-sufficient combat units during a two-day meeting of company commanders in Pyongyang, state media KCNA said on Saturday, Reuters reported. 'Let us build the strongest army and speed up a military revolution in our style,' Kim said, according to KCNA.

Source: Reuters, Oct 24, 2026

The conference, held on October 22-23, was the first military-wide gathering since the Ninth Congress of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party in February, KCNA said. Kim told the commanders every company must fully prepare so that 'the goal of the new-era military build-up' can be achieved, Reuters reported. Asia Daily reported the gathering was the army's third conference of company commanders and the first under that name since 1999, and that 247 commanders received awards.

Source: Asia Daily, Oct 24, 2026

The call came the same week Seoul's military proposed talks to clarify the inter-Korean border after an explosion inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) further strained ties, the South China Morning Post reported. Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Source: South China Morning Post via Vesper, Oct 24, 2026

At February's Ninth Congress, which sets the country's direction for the next five years, Kim called for stronger conventional armed forces while reaffirming efforts to develop nuclear weapons and missiles, Reuters reported. North Korea has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law and has repeatedly declared its arsenal permanent and irreversible.

Source: Reuters, Oct 24, 2026

State media have also reported a slew of recent weapons tests, including what Pyongyang described as a new-type precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both said by the North to use AI technology — claims attributed to North Korean state reporting and not independently verified. The North has become a key Russian ally since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending troops to support Moscow's war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology, according to Reuters and the South China Morning Post.

Source: South China Morning Post via Vesper, Oct 24, 2026

KCNA's report of the conference was not accompanied by any announcement of a new missile launch or military exercise. Analysts in Seoul closely watch such military gatherings for signs of changes in posture; for now, the immediate test is whether Kim's company-level orders translate into visible changes in training and readiness along the border.

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