Kim Jong Un orders accelerated nuclear buildup, calls South Korea 'most hostile state'

SEOUL, June 23 (MSI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating the expansion of the country’s nuclear forces during a three-day plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The meeting, which ran from Saturday through Monday, reaffirmed Pyongyang’s commitment to strengthening its nuclear arsenal as “the core of the military sovereignty of the country” and the foundation of its war deterrent.

KCNA quoted Kim as saying 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.” The North Korean leader criticized the U.S.-South Korea military alliance, citing regular joint exercises and Seoul’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine. He singled out the Nuclear Consultative Group, which met in Seoul earlier this month, calling it a “nuclear war body” and accusing Washington and Seoul of developing plans for a nuclear strike against the North.

Kim also warned against Japan’s military posture, accusing Tokyo of transforming itself into a “war state” and asserting that military buildups across Northeast Asia were heightening regional tensions.

“In particular, it is essential to thoroughly adhere to the principle of struggle against the enemy set forth by our party which defined the ROK as the most hostile state,” Kim said, using the official acronym for South Korea. The remarks underline Pyongyang’s continued rejection of overtures by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who last week said he discussed North Korea with U.S. President Donald Trump during the Group of Seven summit in France and argued for a more phased approach to denuclearization.

In his address, Kim said it was necessary to bolster North Korea’s defense capabilities in response to what he described as an increasingly volatile global environment. “Wars, bloodshed and political and economic instabilities are becoming a daily occurrence in the world due to the gangster-like and unlimited geopolitical greed and misuse of strength,” he said, according to KCNA.

Beyond nuclear expansion, Kim outlined broader military modernization goals, including the construction of a 10,000-ton strategic guided missile cruiser, expansion of munitions production, development of new naval facilities, and completion of ongoing efforts to harden the border with South Korea. North Korea has been conducting extensive fortification work near the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone, including the installation of barbed-wire fencing and preparations for mine-laying operations.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday called North Korea’s activity a violation of the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea earlier revised its constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea, formalizing Kim’s push to redefine inter-Korean ties as relations between two separate states. The remarks come weeks after Kim toured a newly inaugurated nuclear fuel production facility and vowed to continue expanding the country’s fissile material at an “exponential rate.”

Trump, who met Kim three times during his first term, has said since returning to office that he would be open to meeting the North Korean leader again. Lee said after the G7 summit that Trump agreed “it was time to pay attention to the North Korea issue again.”