Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared the country's policy on enhancing its defense capabilities as an "exact" strategy for ensuring its security amid shifts in the global geopolitical landscape, state media reported.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim made these statements during an expanded plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), which was convened from Tuesday through Thursday. The meeting's primary focus was to review this year's policy implementation outcomes and prepare for a significant party congress slated for early next year. However, state media did not provide further details on how Kim evaluated the North's policy stance towards the United States and South Korea.

Kim praised the country's policy on modernizing national defense capabilities, describing it as effectively addressing numerous security issues. He emphasized that the defense policy was progressing "along the exact direction to ensure the security and defense of the country and protect its interests despite the global geopolitical and technological changes."

Regarding North Korea's troop deployment in support of Russia's war efforts in Ukraine, Kim stated that this action showcased the prestige of its army and state as "the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of international justice," according to the KCNA.

In preparation for the ninth party congress, discussions were held on drafting amendments to the WPK's rules for approval at the upcoming event. There is anticipation over whether North Korea will formalize Kim's "two hostile states" stance in the party's rules, as experts predict Pyongyang will heighten its animosity toward Seoul in the coming year.

At a pivotal party meeting in late 2023, Kim declared inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" and pledged not to seek reconciliation and unification with the South. The ninth party congress is expected to occur in January or February, where North Korea is likely to reveal its external policy stance towards the U.S. and South Korea and outline key policy directions on defense and economy. The last party congress took place in January 2021.