Kim vows to boost N.Korea’s nuclear arsenal

SEOUL AFP, 26 April, 2022 - North Korea will rapidly accelerate the development of its nuclear arsenal, leader Kim Jong Un said while overseeing a vast military parade showcasing his most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday.   

Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim’s military modernisation drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring US offers of talks -- as analysts warn of a likely resumption of nuclear tests.   

Kim said he would “take measures for further developing the nuclear forces of our state at the fastest possible speed”, according to KCTV footage of his speech.   

 “The nuclear forces, the symbol of our national strength and the core of our military power, should be strengthened in terms of both quality and scale,” he said.   

Repeated negotiations aimed at convincing Kim to give up his nuclear weapons programmes have come to nothing, and he warned Monday that he could use his atomic arsenal if North Korea’s “fundamental interests” were threatened.