Kim Jong Un has called for constant strengthening of North Korea’s “nuclear shield and sword,” framing it as the foundation of sovereignty, security, and development.

 On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with scientists and technicians of the Nuclear Weapons Institute and urged a steady enhancement of the state’s nuclear capabilities. He said Pyongyang would prioritise “providing and supporting every possibility and condition to the nuclear technology field for its sustained development,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

During the meeting, Kim listened to a report on the implementation of the 2025 plan aimed at increasing capacity in the nuclear material production sector. He declared that steadily evolving the country’s nuclear response posture was “an essential top priority task in view of the security environment of the Republic, the most right choice for the present and future of the state and an unchangeable duty that we must carry out.”

On Thursday, South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young claimed that North Korea possessed up to 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, a figure that underscores regional concerns.

Earlier this week, Kim also addressed a parliamentary session, where he stated there was “no reason to avoid dialogue with the U.S.” if Washington dropped its demand for denuclearisation.

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