Pyongyang, North Korea - North Korea is poised to hold a crucial plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party this week. State media have reported that the ninth plenary meeting of the party's eighth central committee will review state policies of the current year and establish goals for the upcoming year. The exact date of the meeting has not been disclosed. Analysts anticipate that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will use this platform to reassert a tough stance against the United States and South Korea, and to announce plans to enhance military capabilities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, This includes the potential launch of additional military spy satellites. North Korea has been increasing its military collaboration with Russia following a summit between Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. There are suspicions from the U.S. and South Korea that North Korea has provided military support to Russia for the conflict in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for technical assistance with its satellite launches. In November, North Korea successfully launched a military spy satellite and expressed intentions to deploy more in the near future. The upcoming party meeting is also expected to discuss North Korea's economic objectives, with a focus on addressing food shortages by boosting grain production, a priority set in the previous year's goals.