In this photo released Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) speaks during a plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang. Kim called for the expansion of Pyongyang's nuclear forces, citing military cooperation between Seoul and Washington. Photo by KCNA/EPA
SEOUL, June 23 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating the expansion of North Korea's nuclear forces, citing increasingly hostile military cooperation between Seoul and Washington and an unstable global security environment, state media reported Monday.
Kim led a plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea from Saturday through Monday to review progress on national goals for the first half of the year and outline priorities for the remainder of 2026, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
The meeting reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment to strengthening and expanding its nuclear forces, describing them as "the core of the military sovereignty of the country" and the foundation of its war deterrent.
"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," KCNA said.
