North Korea vows expanded nuclear forces

SEOUL (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate the country’s military buildup, blaming US and South Korean defense cooperation for raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula “to the brink of a nuclear war,” state media reported Tuesday.

Pyongyang remains under multiple UN sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, while the Korean War technically remains unresolved, ending in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Kim made the remarks in a concluding speech at a three-day Workers’ Party of Korea meeting that ended Monday, where senior officials reviewed key policy directions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Kim “in his concluding speech reaffirmed the steadfast policy stand of our Party and state to beef up the national defence capabilities faster,” KCNA quoted him as saying.

The agency said Kim criticized US and South Korean military activities, including moves linked to South Korea’s reported pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines.

He said such developments were “pushing the situation in the Korean peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war.”

Kim also said North Korea would continue to expand its nuclear deterrent, calling it a “steadfast stand” to strengthen self-defense capabilities “at increasing speed.”