North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called members of his country’s central leadership on the carpet on Wednesday, stating they needed to “decisively improve their work attitude and work style.”
As the leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), Kim Jong Un presented his report on day two of meetings held by the party at the Party Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Kim’s report, with meeting members “attentively listening,” assessed global politics on the Korean peninsula, according to the state news agency Pyongyang Times. He also set goals for bolstering North Korea’s defenses to ensure sovereignty, but state-run media did not elaborate on those goals.
On Monday, North Korea was accused of sending five unmanned drones across the DMZ (demilitarized zone) into U.S. ally South Korea’s airspace, as The Dallas Express reported. The incident came after North Korea tested ballistic missiles last Thursday.
The South Korean military sent fighter jets and attack helicopters to intercept the drones, but they only caught one.
“Our military has taken countermeasures after detecting unidentified objects — presumed to be North Korean uncrewed aerial vehicles — starting from 10:25 a.m. local time on Monday in the areas of Gyeonggi Province,” the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to The Korea Herald. “This is a flagrant violation of intruding our airspace.”
It is believed that North Korea has around 300 drones, several of which have been discovered on South Korean soil. No U.S. military personnel or allies were in danger when North Korean drones flew over South Korea on Monday, the U.S. military has said.
In November, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into its eastern waters, as The Dallas Express reported.
The launch came just hours after North Korea threatened to launch “fiercer” military responses to the U.S., bolstering its security commitment to allies South Korea and Japan.
On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan praised South Korea for its new Indo-Pacific Strategy.
“The [Republic of Korea’s] goal to expand its cooperation with other allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific will strengthen our shared ability to advance international peace and security and promote nuclear nonproliferation,” he said in a statement.
The Indo-Pacific region accounts for 62% of the world’s GDP, 46% of international trade, and half of the global maritime transport, the plan reported. As an Indo-Pacific nation. South Korea’s national interests are directly tied to the stability and prosperity of the region.
Meanwhile, North Korea celebrated the “50th institution anniversary of the Socialist Constitution,” according to DPRK Today, a state-run media outlet. During the December 27 anniversary event, the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly’s Seventh Session in September 2022 was also highlighted.
The Supreme People’s Assembly debated “on the Policy of the DPRK Nuclear Forces” for the year. It rendered North Korea’s position as a capable sovereign state with nuclear weapons “irreversible.”