Kim Jong-Un To Meet Top Military Officials To Shore Up 'National Defense' Ahead Of 1st North Korea Nuclear Test In 5 Years

As North Korea gears up for its first nuclear test since 2017, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Central Military Commission meeting that will look at “the crucial and urgent tasks to build up national defense.”

What Happened: According to the state-owned media KCNAWatch, Kim will meet senior military officials to discuss national defense policies and continue his arms buildup following a recent ballistic missile testing.

This is the first time that the military commission leaders are meeting at this level since June 2021, and the gathering is expected to take several days, NK News reported.

Kim’s top task force will be looking at the road map for North Korea's weapons development that the supreme leader of the isolated nation laid out just before U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. 

Kim plans to build up forces to launch tactical nuclear strikes on neighbors and U.S. allies, Japan and South Korea, while intensifying Pyongyang’s capability to hit the U.S. with nuclear weapons.

Why It Matters: Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute think tank in South Korea, told Bloomberg that “it’s expected that North Korea’s seventh nuclear test would be carried out soon after this meeting.”

He added that Kim carried out a nuclear test shortly after a similar meeting in 2013. Pointing to state media photos of Kim smiling with his top generals, Cheong said it indicates that the North Korean leader is pleased with progress in developing nuclear-capable missiles.