North Korean leader Kim Jong Un focussed on agricultural and food issues during his speech at the ruling party plenum on Dec. 31, adding to concerns that the country may be struggling with a “food crisis.”

Kim barely touched on foreign relations, but did promise to strengthen the DPRK’s defense capabilities due to the “ever-destabilizing situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

North Korea’s leadership also gathered in Pyongyang on Dec. 17 to mark 10 years since the death of former ruler Kim Jong Il. Top official Choe Ryong Hae delivered a speech to the thousands gathered outside