North Korea’s Kim orders military to accelerate war preparations, state media reports

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered its military, the munitions industry and the nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations to counter what he called unprecedented confrontational moves by the US, state media said on Thursday.

“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.

Kim also laid out economic goals for the new year during the meeting, calling it a “decisive year” to accomplish the country’s five-year development plan, the report said.

“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.”

North Korea’s crop output was estimated to have increased year-on-year in 2023 due to favourable weather. But a Seoul official has said the amount was still far below what is needed to address the country’s chronic food shortages.

US, Japan, South Korea call for stronger steps to curb North’s nuclear ambition

The 9th plenary meeting of the 8th central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea kicked off on Tuesday to wrap up a year during which the isolated North enshrined nuclear policy in its constitution, launched a spy satellite and fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

The days-long assembly of the party and government officials has been used in recent years to make key policy announcements. Previously, state media released Kim’s speech on New Year’s Day.