Nuclear Posture Push: At a Workers’ Party Central Committee plenary, Kim Jong Un doubled down on expanding and modernizing North Korea’s nuclear forces, calling nuclear status “the only” way to cope with an “unpredictable” security environment and blaming the US and South Korea for escalating tensions, including their nuclear submarine push. Military Build-Up Signals: Kim also ordered faster conventional weapons development and accelerated construction of a 10,000-ton strategic guided-missile cruiser, while framing South Korea as the “most hostile state” and warning the peninsula is being driven toward nuclear war. Seoul-UNC Armistice Dispute: South Korea accused Pyongyang of violating the armistice through intensified border fencing near the MDL, while a former UNC official argued the works are “construction and maintenance” rather than a breach. Diplomacy Glitch: A North Korean UNESCO education official expected to join the Jeju Forum remotely withdrew, leaving a Vietnamese replacement—another sign of how hard it is to keep inter-Korean channels open. Ukraine POW Transfer Talks: South Korea’s foreign minister is set to meet Ukraine’s counterpart June 30 to discuss repatriation of two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine, with Seoul reiterating voluntary return under international law. Domestic Accountability: In South Korea, prosecutors confirmed they won’t appeal acquittals tied to a 2020 border murder cover-up involving a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korean troops.