North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will continue to expand and strengthen its nuclear capabilities, calling that the “only correct solution” to the unstable security and political environment in the world. According to the state news agency KCNA, he made the remarks at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee held from Saturday through Monday.
Kim blamed the United States for worsening tensions and conflicts around the world, saying “unimaginable incidents” are happening because of the “criminal greed of hegemonic forces.” He also accused Washington and Seoul of steadily expanding their nuclear cooperation, which he said is entirely aimed at attacking North Korea.
He said, “The continuous expansion and strengthening of nuclear forces and the full realization of our status as a nuclear weapons state are the right and only way to deal with the increasingly complicated military and political reality in the world.” Kim did not specify any new nuclear steps, but he also ordered faster development of conventional forces and the construction of a 10,000-ton strategic guided missile destroyer.
The remarks were read as another signal that Pyongyang is unwilling to return to talks on denuclearization. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the regime was again confirming that denuclearization talks are not on the table, and that any future contact would begin from recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state rather than a process to dismantle its arsenal.
