North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced plans to hold a major party meeting before the end of the year on Friday, positively evaluating progress toward goals in construction, agriculture and national defense.

The end-of-year plenum will see party officials gather in Pyongyang to discuss policy for the year ahead, while Kim is expected to give speeches signaling major weapons development priorities and foreign policy objectives.

Domestic media on Sunday published two commentaries denouncing South Korea and the U.S., the latest in a series of articles that have sought to justify the DPRK’s