North Korea: Kim Jong-un unveils new military goals for 2023 in party meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un unveiled the new military goals for the isolated nation in the coming year during a recent meeting of the ruling party. The new plans reportedly hint at increased weapons testing and tensions in the peninsula.

North Korean state media KCNA reported on Wednesday that Kim held the Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the ruling Worker’s Party Central Committee this week. On the second day of the ruling party’s meeting, Kim apparently outlined the new military goals for 2023, reviewing the “newly created challenging situation” on the Korean peninsula as well as the larger political landscape.

Kim reportedly set the direction for the “struggle against the enemy” and the country’s goals for reinforcing its defenses, according to KCNA.

“He specified the principles of foreign affairs and the direction of the struggle against the enemy that our party and government must thoroughly abide by in order to protect sovereign rights and defend national interests,” said the report.

“New core goals for strengthening self-defensive capabilities to be strongly pursued in 2023 have been presented in preparation for diverse fluctuations in the political situation.”

While the outlet did not disclose further details, Kim’s remarks may hint that North Korea plans to ramp up its military buildup. North Korea has made a record number of missile launches this year in a sign of flared tensions in the region.

Aside from the military, Kim also highlighted the shortcomings in the country’s education, science, and health sectors this year, according to KCNA. Kim suggested ways to address the flaws and cited key tasks for the coming year.

During the first day of the meeting, Kim lauded the country’s economic and military successes this year despite coming under multiple sanctions, according to KCNA on Tuesday. Kim said the country’s power has grown economically, culturally, militarily, and politically in 2022 even as the year presented an “unprecedentedly arduous and fierce struggle,” the outlet said.

“He stressed the need to lay out strategies to launch more exciting and confident struggles based on valuable facts that the country has achieved practical advances after enduring all difficulties,” said KCNA.