Seoul: South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday that North Korea is likely to ramp up its military activities this year, citing the country's designation of 2025 as "a year of training." Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho reported the assessment to a meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee earlier in the day.
According to Yonhap News Agency, marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the defense ministry on February 8 and designated this year as "a year of training," calling for war preparations as required by modern warfare. The unification ministry highlighted that this designation could lead to increased military activities by North Korea in the future.
Thanks to the economic benefits from North Korea's alignment with Russia, the country's policy implementation capacity has somewhat improved. This improvement has allowed it to support leader Kim's pet projects, such as the Regional Development 20X10 Policy or the drive to build housing units in Pyongyang. However, the general North Korean populace is facing economic difficulties, including limited market activities, limited grain supplies, and rising living costs, as a result of the regime's heightened economic controls, the ministry added.