He set new goals for the army by 2023 Kim Jong Un On Wednesday, state media reported that the North Korean leader is at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. On the second day of the sixth expanded plenary session of the Central Committee, Kim reviewed the “newly emerging difficult situation” on the Korean Peninsula and the world, KCNA reported.
And the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) wrote that in preparation for the changes in the political situation, the North Korean leader has set new goals to be followed in 2023 to strengthen self-defense capabilities, but it did not provide details about these goals. However, Kim Jong-un’s statement may indicate that the isolated country is accelerating its military developments.
North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year. Many of the missile launches were aimed at developing “high priority” strategic weapons included in the five-year plan announced at the Workers’ Party of Korea congress in early 2021. These included tactical nuclear weapons, a new intercontinental ballistic missile, and hypersonic weapons , nuclear-powered submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite.
Throughout the year, tension in the region was high amid North Korea’s ongoing weapons tests. On Monday, five North Korean drones crossed the inter-Korean border for the first time since 2017. The drones entered South Korean airspace in the border province of Gyeonggi. The capital, Seoul, is also located in this province. The South Korean military deployed fighter jets and helicopters, but was unable to destroy any North Korean drones. These returned to their launch sites or disappeared from South Korean radars.
North Korean leaders used to make speeches on New Year’s Day, but in recent years Kim has called one-day party meetings at the end of the year to announce major policy decisions.
The economy is high on the agenda for this meeting, as Kim is under increasing pressure due to international sanctions, the coronavirus lockdown and natural disasters.
(MTI)
