North Korea has sparked World War Three fears after its leader issued a chilling eight-word warning to army bosses. Kim Jong-un told his military commanders that "now is time to be ready for war" in a chilling warning of imminent bloodshed.

       The North Korean leader made the remarks during a visit to the country's main military university in Pyongyang.

       He also told his military chiefs to "mobilise all means" to ensure that North Korea can deal a "death blow" to its enemies.

       The latest threat escalates tensions in the region, as North Korea continues to strengthen its ties with both Russia and China.

       On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping dispatched a senior official to Pyongyang to reassert China’s “deep friendship” with North Korea.

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       During Wednesday's visit to the military university, Kim Jong-un smiled and laughed as he made the war threats.

       He said that the “uncertain and unstable military and political situations" around the world meant it was time to get ready for war.

       The North Korean leader added that if provoked, North Korea will “deal a death blow to the enemy without hesitation by mobilising all means in its possession”.

       Footage from the visit shows Kim inspecting a miniature sculpture of Seoul, South Korea’s capital, as a possible target for attack.

       North Korea has repeatedly accused the US and South Korea of provoking military tensions by conducting “war manoeuvres” near its borders

       Tensions between the North and South have escalated over the past year, with Kim Jong-un declaring Seoul its “principal enemy”.

       He also dismantled agencies dedicated to outreach and threatened war over “even 0.001mm” of territorial infringement.

       North Korea has ramped up production of weapons in recent years and has reportedly supplied Moscow with more than three million artillery shells to aid its war with Ukraine.

       Kim met Putin during a face-to-face visit to the Russian far east in September, and the Russian president is expected to pay a reciprocal visit to Pyongyang this year.

       Earlier in April, Mr Kim supervised the test launch of a new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile using solid fuel, which analysts said would bolster the North’s ability to fire missiles more effectively than liquid-fuel variants.

       Meanwhile, the three-day visit from China's Zhao Leji, the third-ranking member of the Chinese Communist party’s leadership group, marks the highest-level meeting between China and North Korea in nearly five years.