North Korea’s Kim calls for meeting to review state affairs

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a major political conference before the end of the year to talk about key state affairs at which he is expected to address his increasingly tense relations with Washington and Seoul over the expansion of his nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has ramped up missile testing to a record pace this year, dialing up pressure on Washington and Seoul. But Kim has also been struggling to improve a heavily sanctioned economy made worse by pandemic border closures. That’s an issue he may also address during the yearend meeting. In recent years, Kim has used political conferences in late December or early January to reveal his most important goals.