UPDATE - North Korea’s ruling party discusses diplomatic, defense strategies

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By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A North Korean ruling party’s key meeting began to discuss the country's economic, diplomatic, and defense strategies, state-run media reported Saturday.

The 8th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea that began Friday was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

On the agenda is the US deployment of the nuclear-powered "Ohio class" guided missile submarine USS Michigan -- one of the world's largest submarines, to South Korea.

The news agency did not share details or how long the meeting will last but said the agenda items were unanimously approved at a plenary meeting.

Workers' Party members, on the other hand, will discuss defensive moves to deal with "the changing international situation" as a result of the US sending the USS Michigan to South Korea, an official told KCNA.

Tensions grew in the region last year following North Korea’s multiple missile launches and the US-South Korea joint military drills.

On Thursday, Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles following the launch of a military spy satellite that crashed into the Yellow Sea on May 31.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid and Alperen Aktas