• Kim Jong Un carried out a shake-up of North Korea’s military leadership on Wednesday during a meeting of the Central Military Commission, in which making full war preparations was the top agenda item, state-run KCNA reported on Thursday. CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• After serving as the army chief of staff for some seven months, Gen. Pak Su Il was replaced by former defense minister Gen. Ri Yong Gil, who had also previously served as Chief of the General Staff. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
• This decision allegedly indicates that Kim was unhappy with Pak’s ability to craft military strategies, as the nation’s reclusive leader also urged his army to boost frontline units and to conduct “actual war drills,” incorporating new strategies and weapons. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• KCNA reports that such plans are focused on deterring the “chief culprits” — a likely reference to S.Korea and the US, who are set to engage in annual, large-scale military exercises later this month that Pyongyang views as a warm-up to war. VOA
• Kim last week went on a three-day inspection tour of North Korea’s key weapons factories, and called for significant improvements to its arms and war readiness amid mounting tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
• In reaction to the news, Seoul stated that the North should be more worried about the immediate safety of its citizens than escalating military tensions, as the Tropical Storm Khaunun is expected to make landfall in North Korea on Friday. FOX News (LR: 4 CP: 4)

:

• As some rogue states seek to undermine peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and surroundings, Pyongyang has no other option than to make full war preparations to contain its enemies in advance and neutralize attacks if a conflict breaks out. Only a strong and ready military can deter hostile forces from engaging in confrontation with North Korea.
  KCNA

:

• The US and South Korea are working together to combat the rising threat North Korea poses. Due to the current stakes, these two allies are joining for yet another set of large-scale military exercises. Kim Jong Un is on the precipice of starting a nuclear war and his threats cannot be dismissed. The US military must defend its allies and the rules-based international order, and prevent a nuclear attack at all costs.
  The Diplomat

Nerd narrative:

• There’s a 50% chance that Kim Jong Un will no longer be the leader of North Korea by December 2045, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)