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SEOUL, Dec. 28 (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un laid out an unspecified goal of further strengthening his military next year at a meeting of top political officials, state media reported Wednesday, suggesting he will continue his provocative campaign. Weapon display.
Kim’s statement comes amid a sharp rise in antagonism between South Korea and South Korea this week after South Korea accused North Korea of ​​flying a drone over its border for the first time in five years. North Korea has conducted a record number of missile tests this year in what experts say is an effort to modernize its arsenal and increase its leverage in future dealings with the United States.
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At a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Tuesday, Kim Jong-un analyzed international politics and new security challenges facing the Korean peninsula, and clarified principles and directions to be adopted in foreign relations and fighting against enemies to protect national interests and sovereignty , according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim Jong-un “proposed a new key goal of strengthening self-reliant defense capabilities in the multilaterally changing situation, which will be advanced in 2023,” KCNA said, without elaborating.
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Some observers said the new target could be related to Kim’s push to expand his nuclear arsenal and introduce a raft of high-tech weapons systems, such as multiple-warhead missiles, a more flexible long-range weapon, a spy satellite and advanced drones. They say Kim’s ultimate goal is to use his enhanced nuclear capabilities to force his rivals to accept North Korea as a legitimate nuclear state, a status he sees as crucial to lifting international sanctions on his country.
On Monday, the South Korean military fired warning shots and deployed fighter jets and helicopters after spotting what it said were five North Korean drones violating South Korean airspace. In response, South Korea has also sent its own surveillance assets, likely referring to drones, across the border into North Korea.
The South Korean military said it failed to shoot down the drone and issued a public apology for causing safety concerns. President Yoon Hee-yeol has called for enhanced air defense and high-tech stealth drones to better monitor North Korea.
Some experts said North Korea’s drone flight could be aimed at testing the readiness of South Korea and the United States and negating a previous agreement to ease tensions between the two Koreas. They said North Korea likely assessed that its drone flights had caused security unease and domestic divisions in South Korea. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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