SEOUL: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has issued directives to its army, the munitions industry and the nuclear arms sector to accelerate war preparations to counter unprecedented confrontational moves by Washington, official media reported on Thursday.
Kim was speaking on the policy directions for the new year at a significant meeting of the country’s ruling party on Wednesday.
The North Korean leader said they would enhance strategic cooperation with “anti-imperialist independent” nations, Reuters reported.
“Kim set forth the tasks for the Army and the munitions industry, nuclear arms and civil defence sectors to further enhance the war preparations,” KCNA reported.
Pyongyang has been expanding relations with Moscow, among others, as Washington accuses North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for use in its conflict with Kyiv, while Russia provides technical assistance to support the North Korea advance its army capabilities.
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Kim Jong Un also laid out economic targets for the new year during the key meeting, calling it a “decisive year” to achieve the country’s 5-year development plan, the report added.
The North Korea has suffered serious scarcities of food in recent decades, including starvation in the 1990s, frequently as a result of natural catastrophes. Global experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 epidemic worsened food shortage.
Earlier, the local media reported that the 9th plenary meeting of the 8th central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea started on Tuesday.
