North Korea’s leader visited a nuclear material production base and the Nuclear Weapons Institute and warned that “confrontation with the most vicious hostile countries is inevitable” and his country should strengthen its nuclear forces, Korean media reported on Wednesday.
Kim Jong Un’s warning came days after US President Donald Trump signalled that he may be willing to resume the cooperation with North Korea that he began during his first term as president.
Kim made a statement about the need to strengthen the state’s nuclear capabilities due to the current global instability, the Korean Central Telegraphic Agency (KCTAK) reported. The official statement emphasised:
“With security in the DPRK remaining the most vulnerable amid global instability and confrontation with the most hostile forces, we must not only take care of the country’s current state but also its future. This means that we face the issue of continuous strengthening of nuclear capabilities.”
The North Korean leader noted achievements in the production of DPRK nuclear workers, who, he said, are making “especially important progress” in new state projects.
Kim also called the coming year of 2025 a key year in the issue of strengthening and increasing nuclear capabilities. He said that all projects that are in the pipeline should be finalised this year in order to move “to a new stage.”
Regional tensions
On January 17, the North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that military exercises by the US and its allies on the Korean Peninsula lead to the risk of armed conflict and the destruction of regional stability. It is stressed that the state reserves the right to self-defence “with greater intensity.”
On December 19, the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the actions of the US and allies are a serious threat to global peace and security. It also stressed that the released statement of the G7 countries on North Korea-Russia co-operation does not reflect reality, which Pyongyang protested.
Earlier, the head of the press office of the DPRK Ministry of Defence said that the US actions on the Korean Peninsula could lead to war with the DPRK. According to him, Washington needs to immediately stop “provocative actions” to avoid an armed clash.
