N.Korea calls for 'perfecting' war readiness posture

Seoul, Feb 7: North Korea has convened a meeting of the ruling party's central military commission to discuss ways to expand operational combat drills and "more strictly perfect" its readiness posture for war, Pyongyang's state media reported on Tuesday.

Kim Jong-un presided over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Monday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Participants "discussed in depth the major military and political tasks for 2023 and the long-term issues concerning the orientation for army building", Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying in a statement.

Major agenda items discussed included "the issue of constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to cope with the prevailing situation and more strictly perfecting the preparedness for war", it added.

The meeting came amid reports that the North is preparing for a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the KPA's founding on Wednesday, an event likely to be an occasion to flex its military muscle.

With his latest attendance at the meeting, the North's leader has resumed his public activities after a hiatus of about 40 days.

The North launched around 70 ballistic missiles last year alone, the most in a single year, amid persistent speculation it may conduct a nuclear test in the near future.

Kim had called for an "exponential" increase in its nuclear arsenal and the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons at a key party meeting held late last year.