N. Korea likely to ramp up military activities this year: unification ministry

South Korea’s unification ministry said Wednesday that North Korea is likely to ramp up its military activities this year, citing the country’s designation of 2025 as “a year of training.”

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho reported the assessment to a meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee earlier in the day.

Marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the defense ministry on Feb. 8 and designated this year as “a year of training,” calling for war preparations as required by modern warfare.

“As Kim Jong-un designated this year as a year of training, there’s a possibility that the North Korean military will ramp up military activities in the future,” the ministry said in a copy of the parliamentary report.

Thanks to the economic benefits from North Korea’s alignment with Russia, the country’s policy implementation capacity has somewhat improved, allowing it to support leader Kim’s pet projects, such as the Regional Development 20X10 Policy or the drive to build housing units in Pyongyang, according to the ministry.

The general North Korean people are, however, facing economic difficulties, such as limited market activities, limited grain supplies and rising living costs, as a result of the regime’s heightened economic controls, the ministry added.