North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event celebrating the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang yesterday. PHOTO: VIA REUTERSNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would permanently strengthen its nuclear forces and treat South Korea as its most hostile state, as he set out policy priorities in a speech to parliament, state media KCNA reported yesterday. Kim said Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear-armed state was irreversible and expanding a "self-defensive nuclear deterrent" was essential to national security, regional stability and economic development. He rejected the idea nuclear disarmament could be exchanged for economic benefits or security guarantees, saying North Korea had already proven maintaining nuclear forces while pursuing development was the correct strategic choice. Nuclear weapons had deterred war and allowed the state to focus resources on economic growth, construction and living standards, he said.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 24, 2026 21:37 UTC