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NK leader calls for military, diplomatic preparations
By Choi He-sukPublished : Dec. 31, 2019 - 14:47
The North Korean ruling party’s plenary session continued for a fourth day Tuesday, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again stressing “aggressive measures” the previous day.
According to North Korean media, Kim offered a “comprehensive report” on his regime’s policies and projects at Monday’s session of the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and called for preparations to be made.
“(Kim) gave a comprehensive report on the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s projects and on national development, economic development and building military power over the course of seven hours,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday.
“(Kim dealt with) proactive and aggressive political, diplomatic and military response measures for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and security.”
Kim’s comments from Monday echoed those from Sunday, with the added detail of “political, diplomatic and military response measures.”
No details about the “aggressive measures” have been revealed. The meeting’s results are expected to be included in Kim’s much-anticipated New Year’s speech.
The KCNA also reported that Kim listed issues the party must address and proposed ways to resolve them. Issues the KCNA reported Kim as mentioning include improving economic order and agricultural output, updating science, education and welfare projects and intensifying the fight against anti-socialist forces.
The KCNA also quoted Kim as saying that the party will begin an “earnest and long-lasting fight” for the people of North Korea, and open a path to “realize the ideal and ambition of building a strong socialist country.”
The plenary meeting opened Saturday, with the “path of struggle and important policy issues for creating a new victory for our revolution” as the main agenda item. The term “important policy issues” is believed to include Pyongyang’s policies toward South Korea and the US, including its position on denuclearization talks.
It is also speculated that the current plenary session -- the longest since a five-day meeting held under Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung in 1990 -- will determine the “new path” that Pyongyang had warned of in its dealings with the US.
The US, which has warned North Korea against provocations on several occasions, is closely monitoring the situation.
“We’re watching very closely. We maintain our view that we can find a path forward to convince the leadership in North Korea that their best course of action is to create a better opportunity for their people by getting rid of their nuclear weapons,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.
“We’re watching what they’re doing here in the closing days of this year, and we hope that they’ll make a decision that will lead to a path of peace and not one towards confrontation.”
By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
