SEOUL - The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday convened a consultative meeting on national defense and security in the latest move by the country to address the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.

Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, was briefed on a general analysis of "the case of enemy's serious provocation that violated the DPRK sovereignty" as well as the country's military counteraction plan, measures for weaponry modernization, status of weapons and equipment production and intelligence operations, the KCNA said.

During the meeting, the DPRK leader set forth the direction of military action under the current circumstances and specified the tasks in the operation of the war deterrent and in exercise of the right to self-defense for safeguarding the national sovereignty, security and interests, according to the KCNA report.

Kim expressed a tough political and military stand of the DPRK ruling party and government at the meeting, the report said.