North Korea pledges faster weapons buildup amid US and South Korean moves

Kim Jong Un announced at the close of a three‑day Workers’ Party meeting that North Korea will accelerate the development of its military and nuclear capabilities. He blamed recent United States and South Korean actions – including Seoul’s effort to acquire nuclear‑powered submarines – for pushing the Korean Peninsula “to the brink of a nuclear war.” The leader reaffirmed Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear‑armed state and said the only viable response is to “expand a strong, reliable self‑defensive deterrent and fully enhance it.” The statements come amid continued regional tension and follow a failed summit in Hanoi in 2019 that left North Korea’s nuclear posture unchanged.

The pledge signals a further hardening of North Korea’s stance, closing any remaining diplomatic space for denuclearisation talks and reinforcing its reliance on nuclear weapons as a diplomatic lever.