SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged his military to be ready "for real war" as he observed a firing contest of artillery units, Pyongyang state media said on Thursday (Jul 24). Kim's remarks follow the North's deployment of troops and weapons to help Russia during its more than three-year-long offensive in Ukraine. Video footage aired by state-run Korea Central Television on Thursday showed soldiers from artillery units firing shells towards the sea. Kim is seen looking through