World
Kim bares goals to boost military might

(UPDATED) SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented unspecified goals to further bolster his military power next year at a meeting of top political officials, state media reported Wednesday, in an indication he'll continue his provocative run of weapons displays.

Kim's statement came as animosities with rival South Korea rose sharply this week as the South accused the North of flying across the rivals' border for the first time in five years. This year, North Korea already performed a record number of missile tests in what experts call an attempt to modernize its arsenal and increase its leverage in future dealings with the United States.

MORE POWER This picture taken on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, and released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, December 28, shows North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un giving a report on the second day of the 6th expanded plenary session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, at the Party Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang. PHOTO BY KCNA VIA KNS/AFP