North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected joint drills conducted by the military's two units, ordering the Korean People's Army to intensify combat drills, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.

Kim observed "actual maneuvers" between the KPA's large combined units 526 and 671, expressing satisfaction over their flawlessness in defensive and offensive capacities, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not specify the date of Kim's visit.

"Practical drills should be conducted so often to cope with the hardest and severest war," Kim was quoted by the KCNA as saying.

The North's leader called for the military to beef up their combat readiness in a bid to greet the upcoming congress of the Workers' Party of Korea with achievements, it said.

North Korea plans to hold the first party congress in more than three decades in May next year, where the leader may unveil a new line of policies and conduct a major reshuffle.

Kim was accompanied by Hwang Pyong-so, director of the general political department of the KPA and Pak Yong-sik, minister of the North's armed forces. (Yonhap)