Kim says nuclear status is North Korea's only option, blames US for global conflicts

Kim Jong Un used a party meeting to defend expanding North Korea's nuclear forces and order more advanced weapons development. His remarks reinforced Pyongyang's claim that its nuclear status is irreversible despite sanctions and pressure.

In Short

• Kim accused the US of fuelling conflicts in Europe and West Asia
• He said regional confrontations were turning more violent amid hegemonic greed
• He blamed Washington and Seoul for worsening security on the peninsula

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has defended the expansion of his country's nuclear capabilities, saying fully exercising North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state is the only way to cope with an increasingly unpredictable global security environment.

Speaking at a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, Kim accused the United States of fuelling conflicts and worsening bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

Kim said "unimaginable, astonishing incidents and events" were unfolding around the world due to the "gangster-like" greed of hegemonic forces, while confrontations across regions were becoming increasingly violent.

He also accused the United States and South Korea of making the security situation on the Korean Peninsula more dangerous by steadily strengthening their joint military and nuclear posture, which he said was aimed at North Korea.

"To steadily expand and strengthen the nuclear forces ... and 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," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

While KCNA did not provide details of any specific nuclear measures, Kim's remarks reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment to further strengthening its strategic deterrent despite years of international sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

In addition to bolstering nuclear capabilities, Kim ordered the development of more advanced conventional weapons and called for accelerating the construction of a 10,000-ton strategic guided missile cruiser, KCNA reported.

North Korea has long maintained that it will not abandon its nuclear programme despite years of international sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared its nuclear status irreversible, a stance that continues to raise concerns among regional powers and the wider international community.

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With inputs from Reuters