Nuclear Policy & Military Modernization: North Korea’s ruling party Central Military Commission ordered a “bolster” of the nuclear force “both in quality and quantity,” alongside upgrades to combat-system infrastructure and plans to standardize, specialize, and modernize military bases, with an emphasis on expanding naval base construction. Military Intelligence Expansion: The same meeting directed the General Reconnaissance and Intelligence Bureau to expand its functions and missions “against potential enemies,” aiming to boost military reconnaissance and intelligence activities “in a radical way,” a move widely read as widening pressure on South Korea and beyond. China-DPRK Diplomacy: North Korea’s Premier Pak Thae-song arrived in Beijing for a three-day visit tied to the 65th anniversary of the 1961 friendship treaty, as Chinese state media offered unusually positive coverage of Pyongyang’s construction and economic progress. Inter-Korean Contact Rules: South Korea is pushing to scrap a requirement that citizens report contacts or meetings with Chongryon members in Japan, seeking revisions to the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act to ease constraints on exchanges. Border Flood Watch: South Korea monitored potential downstream flooding after heavy rain and North Korea-linked dam release concerns, with evacuations triggered near the Imjin River at Pilseung Bridge.