The comments are the latest sign of Pyongyang’s hardening stance toward Seoul since Kim dropped decades of policy seeking peaceful reunification and moved to redefine relations with the South as those between two hostile states.
Analysts have been watching for any sign that this shift had been codified in law. The state media report did not elaborate.
FIVE-YEAR PLAN
Alongside security policy, Kim outlined economic priorities, calling on officials to fully implement a new five-year development plan focused on modernising industry, boosting electricity and coal production, increasing food output and expanding housing construction nationwide.
North Korea is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a heavily sanctioned economy and chronic shortages that have left much of its population dependent on state rations and informal markets, according to international assessments.
The parliamentary session adopted amendments to the constitution and passed legislation endorsing the new five-year economic plan, KCNA said.
Lawmakers also approved a 2026 state budget that raises defence spending to 15.8 per cent of total expenditure, with funding explicitly allocated to expanding nuclear deterrence and war-fighting capabilities, according to a separate budget report released at the session.
The assembly heard a congratulatory message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who praised Kim’s leadership and pledged to deepen a comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.