North Korea has released a photo of shirtless, muscular troops smashing bricks with sledgehammers against the body and head of a comrade.
The picture, taken at an undisclosed location in the country, shows one soldier lying between small supports as his colleagues swing hammers at the bricks on his face and stomach. A formation of other kneeling bare-chested men is seen in the background.
The release of the image comes as Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, threatened to use nuclear weapons to smash South Korea if it encroached on the North’s sovereignty.
North Korea “would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it has possessed, including nuclear weapons”, the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying on Friday.
“If such [a] situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible,” Kim added, using the official name for South Korea.
North Korea has used photos of shirtless troops in its propaganda before.
In October 2021, state media released a video of soldiers breaking bricks over the heads and arms of their bare-chested colleagues. North Korean dignitaries, including Kim Jong-un, were shown applauding the demonstration.
The display of martial vigour was released as part of a “self-defence” exhibition showcasing North Korea’s latest weaponry, which at the time included what Pyongyang said was a hypersonic missile.