North Korea’s Kim calls for ‘accelerated’ war preparations

News Snapshot:

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, asked his party to “accelerate” war preparations, including its nuclear program, according to official media on Thursday. Only one week prior, Kim had threatened Pyongyang that it would not hold back from launching a nuclear strike if it were “provoked” to do so. Kim said these things at the North’s ongoing year-end celebration, where he is anticipated to announce important policy choices for 2024. According to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim asked the party to “further accelerate the war preparations” across sectors, including nuclear weapons and civil defense. He also...