Kim Jong Un Convenes Military Meeting

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is meeting with his senior military officials to discuss national defense policies and continuing his arms buildup following a highly provocative run in ballistic missile testing this year that revived tensions with Washington and Seoul.Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim presided over a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission that began Tuesday to review defense work during the first half of 2022 and confirm “crucial and urgent tasks” to expand military capabilities and implement key defense policies.The report did not specify any plans or mention any critical remarks toward the United States or rival South Korea. U.S. and South Korean officials have said in recent months that the North could be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 2017 as Kim escalates brinkmanship aimed at cementing the North’s status as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength.This photo provided by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, middle left, attends a meeting with his senior military officials at undisclosed location, North Korea, Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) KCNA said the commission’s mem …