Kim Jong Un pledges nuclear expansion, calls on US to accept North Korea’s position

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has announced plans to expand the country’s nuclear weapons programme, urging the United States to accept that its nuclear arsenal is permanent.

Speaking at the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Kim said US-North Korea relations “depend entirely on the US attitude” and called for Washington to respect North Korea’s constitutional position and end its hostile policies.

Kim asserted that North Korea is prepared for either peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, placing the responsibility for better relations squarely on the United States. He left the door open for negotiations ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China in April.

Addressing South Korea, Kim described the neighbour as North Korea’s “most hostile entity” and said Seoul would be permanently excluded from the category of compatriots. He added that the only safe way for South Korea to live alongside North Korea is to abandon all engagement with the North.

In his closing remarks at the Congress, Kim reaffirmed his commitment to increasing both the number of nuclear weapons and the means to deploy them. He termed this strategy a “firm will” to strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities.

A nighttime military parade accompanied the Congress, with around 14,000 troops marching. Notably, there was no display of tanks, intercontinental missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, or transporter-erector-launchers. Kim was accompanied by his daughter, believed to be Ju Ae, during the event.