Arya News - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country`s military modernization efforts at a key ruling party meeting, state-run media reported Friday.
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country"s military modernization efforts as addressing security challenges "effectively and correctly" at a key ruling party meeting, state-run media reported Friday.
Kim said the regime"s push to strengthen defense capabilities was the "exact" direction to ensure North Korea"s security amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
The comments came as the three-day enlarged plenary meeting of the Workers" Party of Korea"s Central Committee wrapped up on Thursday. The session reviewed this year"s policy implementation results and laid groundwork for a key party congress set for early next year.
During his remarks, the North Korean leader also highlighted the deployment of troops to Russia as a major achievement of the country"s defense strategy.
"The signal military gains made by ... the Korean People"s Army in the overseas military operations over the past nearly one year demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state," Kim said.
Pyongyang has provided significant support for Moscow"s war effort in Ukraine, sending thousands of shipping containers of munitions and deploying 15,000 troops to assist Russian forces in the Kursk region, according to Seoul"s National Intelligence Service.
In exchange, experts assess that Russia is transferring advanced military technology to Pyongyang, including assistance with space launch vehicles, reconnaissance satellites and air defense systems.
On Friday, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea warned of the expanding threat posed by North Korea as it deepens military cooperation with Russia.
"Russian-DPRK collaboration is real -- it is not a quid pro quo relationship," Gen. Xavier Brunson said during a webinar.
The Democratic People"s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
"There are things we know are happening right now that give me pause as I look at what might face us down the road, whether that be training, or techniques and procedures they"re learning from the front," Brunson said.
The ruling party"s Ninth Congress, expected in early 2026, is widely expected to outline a new five-year economic plan and recalibrate Pyongyang"s military and foreign policy priorities.
Analysts say that the event may also cement a hard-line posture toward South Korea. In 2024, North Korea officially designated the South as a "hostile state," according to state media, while Kim publicly rejected the long-held goal of reunification.