N. Korea vows to expand nuclear arsenal at key party meeting: KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK)'s second plenary meeting of its ninth central committee held from Saturday through Monday, in this image from the Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for efforts to further increase his country's nuclear assets "with a goal of overtaking the world," Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) convened the second plenary meeting of its ninth central committee for three days from Saturday, presided over by leader Kim, to assess how the country's policies have fared in the first half of the year and review the agenda set at a major party congress in February.
The meeting reaffirmed North Korea's commitment to expanding its nuclear forces, describing them as "the core of the military sovereignty" of the nation and "the pivot of implementing the strategy for deterring or fighting a war."
The report said the plenary session unanimously decided that "to thoroughly exercise the position of a nuclear weapons state is the most correct and unique way to actively and confidently cope with the unpredictable international military and political situation getting complicated in multiple ways."
"With the nuclear technology as a basis, more extensive, innovative and encouraging plans would be carried out with increasing speed," said the report, adding Kim "set forth tasks to dynamically carry out the work to increase powerful defense assets without pause in our own way and with a goal of overtaking the world."
The meeting also pledged to accelerate construction of a 10,000-ton-class strategic guided missile cruiser, which was decided by the party in April.
Pyongyang reiterated its policy of designating South Korea as its most hostile nation and sharply criticized the military alliance between Seoul and Washington, including the Nuclear Consultative Group, a key nuclear deterrence meeting held earlier this month.
In addition, Jo Yong-won was elected secretary of the party's central committee. Jo has previously served as chairman of the standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's parliament.
The February congress, the country's most important political gathering and the first since 2021, ran from Feb. 19-25. It set a five-year course for the economy, defense and diplomacy, and reshuffled the party's top leadership.