SEOUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that the country is advancing its nuclear force construction policy to significantly increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons, according to state media KCNA on Tuesday. In a speech delivered on Monday, marking North Korea’s founding anniversary, Kim emphasized the need for enhanced nuclear capability and readiness to ensure the state’s security rights. He stated that a robust military presence is essential to counter the various threats posed by the United States and its allies.
Kim also highlighted what he perceives as a “serious threat” from a U.S.-led nuclear military bloc in the region.
In response, South Korea’s deputy defense minister for policy, Cho Chang-rae, along with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, condemned North Korea’s recent expansion of nuclear delivery systems, including multiple ballistic missile tests and launches. During a meeting in Seoul, the three nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen trilateral cooperation to maintain regional peace and counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, as stated in a joint communiqué released by the U.S. State Department. They also decided to conduct a second trilateral military exercise, known as Freedom Edge, in the near future.
Additionally, South Korea will hold a defense ministerial meeting with the United Nations Command (UNC) member states on Tuesday. The UNC, led by the U.S. military commander stationed in South Korea, includes Germany, which recently joined to help monitor the heavily fortified border with North Korea and has pledged to defend South Korea in case of conflict. North Korea has denounced the UNC as an “illegal war organization” and criticized Germany’s participation in the U.S.-led U.N. border monitoring force as an escalation of tensions.
