Kim Jong Un vows ‘offensive’ nuclear expansion

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission at its headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, April 10, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more “practical and offensive” ways in the face of his rivals’ “frantic” military exercises, state media said.

The comments came during a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission, held amid heightened tensions as the pace of both the North Korean weapons demonstrations and the US-South Korean joint military drills have intensified in recent weeks in a cycle of tit-for-tat.