According to state media, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un has announced new targets for the North Korean military and has indicated 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 advanced 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 in the Korean peninsula," KCNA continued.
Kim clarified "the direction of fighting the enemy that 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.
This week, North Korea also controlled several drones over the inner-Korean border, according to South Korean information.
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.