North Korea’s Kim Jong Un sets new military goals for 2023

Seoul:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled new goals for the country’s military for 2023 at an ongoing meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media said Wednesday, pointing to another year of intense weapons testing and tensions.

The report said that on the second day of the sixth expanded plenary meeting of the party’s 8th Central Committee, Kim reviewed the “newly created challenging situation” on the Korean Peninsula and the broader political landscape.

The third-generation leader set the direction for the “anti-enemy struggle” and set goals for strengthening the defense force.

“He specified the principles of foreign affairs and the direction of the struggle against the enemy, which our party and government must strictly adhere to in order to defend sovereign rights and safeguard national interests,” the official KCNA news agency said.

“New main goals to strengthen self-defensive capabilities to be firmly pursued in 2023 are presented in preparation for diverse fluctuations in the political situation.”

KCNA did not provide details on those goals, but Kim’s comments could indicate that the isolated country will continue to ramp up its military build-up.

North Korea has fired an unprecedented number of missiles this year, and many of the launches were designed to make developing strategic weapons a “top priority” under a five-year plan set out at the Workers’ Party Congress in early 2021.

The list includes tactical nuclear weapons, a new intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic gliding flight warheads, nuclear-powered submarines and a reconnaissance satellite.

Tensions have built up throughout this year amid the North’s frequent weapons tests, and flared up again this week after five North Korean drones flew into South Korea, prompting Seoul to attack and shoot down fighter jets and helicopters. inspired to try.

KCNA said that during the plenary meeting, Kim pointed to “a series of serious shortcomings” seen this year in fields such as science, education and health and suggested ways to address them and important actions for next year.

North Korean leaders previously gave speeches on New Year’s Day, but in recent years, Kim has called year-end party gatherings to announce major policy decisions.

The economy is top of the agenda, with Kim facing mounting pressure from international sanctions, an anti-coronavirus lockdown and fallout from natural disasters.