According to state media, North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has announced new targets for the North Korean military, indicating that the internationally isolated country will continue its weapons tests. In a report to the head of the ruling party, Kim "set new key goals for strengthening independent defense capabilities" to be promoted in 2023, the state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday.

The annual party convention of the ruling party in North Korea is currently underway. At the meeting, Kim and other senior officials set out their policy goals for 2023 in key areas such as diplomacy, security and the economy.

The report analyzed and evaluated the "new challenging situation that has arisen on the Korean peninsula," KCNA continued. Kim clarified "the orientation of the fight against the enemy, which our party must adhere to".

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen sharply this year. North Korea has tested numerous weapons in recent months, and in November the country fired its most modern ICBM. Pyongyang also said it had developed new technology to use reconnaissance satellites to take pictures from space. According to South Korean information, North Korea flew several drones over the inner-Korean border this week.

The United States and South Korea have been warning for months that North Korea could prepare for its seventh nuclear test. Kim has announced that he wants to build his country into the world's most powerful nuclear power.