'Overtake the world': Kim Jong-un calls for expanding nuclear arsenal
What's the story
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for a significant expansion of the country's nuclear arsenal. According to state media reports, he has asked officials to strengthen defense capabilities "with a goal of overtaking the world." The remarks were made during a three-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers's Party of Korea (WPK). The meeting reviewed North Korea's progress in the first half of this year and assessed plans from a key party congress held in February.
Nuclear strategy
Being a nuclear weapons state 'most correct': WPK officials
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the meeting reaffirmed North Korea's commitment to expanding its nuclear forces. These forces are considered "the core of the military sovereignty" and "the pivot of implementing the strategy for deterring or fighting a war." The report said party officials unanimously agreed that being 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."
Military expansion
Pyongyang reiterates hardline stance toward South Korea
The meeting also promised to accelerate the construction of a 10,000-ton-class strategic guided missile cruiser. Pyongyang reiterated its hardline stance toward South Korea, calling it the country's most hostile state. It also criticized the military alliance between Seoul and Washington, including the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which it described as "a nuclear war body whose purpose is to attack" North Korea.
Internal changes
Leadership reshuffle at plenary meeting
The plenary meeting also saw a major leadership reshuffle. Jo Yong-won was elected secretary of the party's central committee, restoring him to one of North Korea's most influential positions. Senior official Kim Jae-ryong was removed from several top party posts without explanation. Economic issues were also discussed, with coal being highlighted as a key sector for future growth. Kim called ending the "centuries-old backwardness" of the coal industry a "strategic issue of weighty significance" for the country's development goals.