North Korea's leader has called for "positive and offensive measures" to ensure the country's "sovereignty and security", state media said. Kim Jong-un was speaking at a multi-day gathering of party leaders in Pyongyang - unusual for this time of the year. The comments come amid concerns that the North could end negotiations on denuclearisation with the US, and restart major weapons testing. The US has said it would be "extraordinarily disappointed" by that. Pyongyang threatened earlier this year to take a "new way", if Washington failed to offer concessions in the nuclear talks by the end of the year.

Why was this meeting unusual?

According to North Korean state media KCNA, Kim opened the party meeting on Saturday and presided over the session on Sunday. Reports also indicated the meeting would continue on Monday. The plenary party meeting is one of the communist state's highest decision-making bodies, though it is thought largely to rubber-stamp policies put forward by Kim, who holds absolute power. It comes days ahead of the much-anticipated New Year's Day address, where Kim has previously made big announcements related to denuclearisation. At the party meeting Kim emphasised "the need to take positive and offensive measures" to "fully ensure the sovereignty and security of the country, as required by the present situation". Kim did not elaborate on what "offensive measures" could mean. BBC