DPRK's Kim orders military to accelerate war preparations: State media
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DPRK leader Kim Jong Un addresses the policy directions for the upcoming year in a crucial meeting of the country's ruling party.
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This picture taken on December 26, 2023, and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 27 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (top, L) attending the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the office building of the WPK Central Committee in Pyongyang. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has instructed the military, munitions industry, and nuclear weapons sector to expedite preparations for war in response to what he termed as unprecedented confrontational actions by the United States, as reported by state media on Thursday.
While addressing the policy directions for the upcoming year in a crucial meeting of the country's ruling party on Wednesday, Kim also expressed the intention to enhance strategic cooperation with "anti-imperialist independent" nations, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"He (Kim) set forth the militant tasks for the People's Army and the munitions industry, nuclear weapons and civil defence sectors to further accelerate the war preparations," KCNA said.
The comments came just a week after Kim warned Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if "provoked" with nukes.
Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington have ramped up security cooperation amid a record-breaking series of weapons tests by Pyongyang this year and recently activated a system to share real-time data on DPRK missile launches.
Earlier this month, a US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan, and Washington flew its long-range bombers in drills with Seoul and Tokyo.
The DPRK has previously described the deployment of Washington's strategic weapons -- such as B-52 bombers -- in joint drills on the Korean peninsula as the "intentional nuclear war provocative moves of the US."
Pyongyang this year successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite, enshrined its status as a nuclear power in its constitution, and test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Kim earlier this week defined 2023 as a "year of great turn and great change" in which Pyongyang saw "eye-opening victories."
Additionally, Kim outlined economic objectives for the new year during the meeting, referring to it as a "decisive year" to achieve the country's five-year development plan, as mentioned by the KCNA report.
"He ... clarified the important tasks for the new year to be dynamically pushed forward in the key industrial sectors," and called for "stabilising the agricultural production on a high level," the news agency said.
At last year's year-end party meeting, Kim had called "for an exponential increase of the country's nuclear arsenal."
The United States and South Korea earlier this month held the second meeting of their Nuclear Consultative Group in Washington, where they discussed nuclear deterrence options in the event of conflict with the DPRK.
They warned that any nuclear attack from Pyongyang on the United States or South Korea would result in the end of the DPRK regime.
A spokesperson for Pyongyang's Defense Ministry then slammed the allies' plans to expand annual joint military exercises next year to include a nuclear operation drill, calling it "an open declaration on nuclear confrontation."
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