North Korea’s leader called for an exponential increase in nuclear weapons production in response to a “new Cold War,” the country’s state press reported Thursday.
Kim Jong Un spoke during a two-day session of the North Korean parliament, which amended the constitution to enshrine the policy of expanding the country’s nuclear weapons program, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The parliamentary session, held on Tuesday and Wednesday, took place after Kim traveled to Russia this month to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and visit military and technological facilities.
The trip to Russia raised concerns in the West about a possible arms alliance, in which North Korea would supply Putin with ammunition needed to fuel the war in Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and advanced Russian technology to build nuclear and security systems. improve. North Korea.
As North Korea ends its confinement due to the pandemic, Kim has strengthened partnerships with Moscow and Beijing, seeking to break diplomatic isolation and join a united front against Washington.. Kim described that the world is entering a “new Cold War” and that North Korea must respond by strengthening its nuclear capabilities.
“Exponentially increase the production of nuclear weapons and diversify the means of nuclear attack”
Also according to KCNA, members of the assembly unanimously approved a new clause in the constitution to “guarantee the country’s right to existence and development, deter war and protect regional and world peace by rapidly developing nuclear weapons to a more advanced level.”
‘The policy to build the DPRK’s nuclear force [República Popular Democrática da Coreia, nome oficial do país] has become permanent as a fundamental law of the state, which no one should ignore,” the North Korean leader stated.
Kim also stressed the need to “promote work to exponentially increase the production of nuclear weapons and diversify the means for nuclear strikes,” the agency also noted.
The North Korean leader pointed to what he described as a growing threat posed by a hostile United States and the expansion of its military cooperation with South Korea and Japan, accusing them of being the “Asian version of NATO, the root cause of war and aggression”. “.
“This is simply the worst real threat, not a threat to rhetoric or an imaginary entity,” he said.
The leader called on North Korean diplomats to “further promote solidarity with countries that oppose the US and the West’s hegemony strategy.”
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached their highest levels in recent years, with Pyongyang testing more than 100 missiles since early 2022 and the United States stepping up military exercises with Asian allies in retaliation.
Last year, the North Korean parliament approved a new nuclear doctrine that allows nuclear strikes if North Korea’s leadership is threatened.
Source: DN
