Kim Jong Un in 2022 fired off missiles at a record pace, lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons and thumbed his nose at global sanctions. He’s likely to turn up the heat even more in the coming year.
Kim is expected to outline his plans for 2023 this week as his ruling Workers’ Party wraps up a major year-end policy-setting meeting. The North Korean leader said during the gathering that he would strengthen the military, but details won’t be known until state media publishes a report of the meeting around New Year’s day. Last year’s dispatch amounted to nearly 8,000 words.
With little threat of new sanctions and plans already afoot to further develop weapons including drones, submarines and missiles, Kim will likely look to continue honing his ability to deliver a credible nuclear strike against the U.S. and its allies.