North Korea is expected to hold a party plenum next week following the conclusion of the North Korea-Russia summit. Presided over directly by Kim Jong Un, the plenum is a significant meeting where new policies based on the summit’s results and new foreign messages from the supreme leader are expected to be announced.
North Korea decided to convene the 10th Enlarged Plenum of the 8th WPK Central Committee in the second half of June through the 20th Politburo Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee held in May. North Korea explained the purpose of this plenum as “to discuss and decide on a series of important issues while summarizing the status of the first half of the year’s business for the successful execution of this year’s national projects and such.”
As a result, achievements in various sectors such as economy, foreign affairs (diplomacy), and national defense during the first half are expected to be highlighted, and the course for the second half will be determined.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to North Korea for the first time in 24 years and signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Kim are expected to be major achievements. Kim also emphasized the word alliance several times immediately after the agreement’s signing, declaring, “The two countries have finally lifted the anchor of history and announced their departure.”
There is a high possibility that a new foreign policy based on the solidified North Korea-Russia relationship will be clearly stated at this party plenum. The response measures established by designating South Korea as a belligerent country, the first hostile country, etc., based on the existing foreign policy principles of anti-U.S. and anti-imperialist, are expected to be strengthened.
New military policies related to the results of the North Korea-Russia summit are highly likely to be established as the new North Korea-Russia agreement included content to prepare systems to take joint actions to enhance defense capabilities. Sudden decisions for North Korea-Russia joint military exercises may also be made.
Furthermore, the new agreement includes the assistance of military sectors and others by all means possessed in case of emergency. Due to this reason, a new military strategy that intensifies the security threat on the Korean Peninsula, including the use of nuclear weapons in case of emergency, may be announced.
Also, as North Korea is exporting weapons to Russia, it may release a policy that further enhances the activation of the defense economy.
In the economic sector, the second half of economic policy can be determined based on the new agreement with Russia. As the new agreement specifies cooperation in diverse fields such as food, energy, health, trade economy, science and technology, and space, it is expected that the will for continuous cooperation with Russia will be reflected in the policy.