Kim's statement and the report of the drill came a day after North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles into the sea in the latest of a series of launches interspersed with spurned peace overtures to South Korea.
It came a week after President Xi Jinping of China, the North's only ally, visited South Korea in a trip seen as a pointed snub to Pyongyang, and as exposing a slow but steady shift in Cold War alliances in East Asia.
Kim "provided field guidance" during the drill, KCNA said, without confirming when it took place.
"We should be prepared for both words and actions," he was quoted as saying.
"However fair-minded and just we are, we may become a bargaining chip for the strong and our precious history inherited with blood will lose its shine in a moment if we are weak," he said.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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