North Korea to expand nuclear arsenal

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has announced plans to “exponentially” increase the country’s nuclear arsenal. During a visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and production facility for weapon-grade nuclear materials, he reiterated the defensive nature of the country’s efforts.

Pyongyang claimed to have successfully tested the first iteration of its nuclear deterrent back in 2006. At present, North Korea is estimated to possess approximately 50 nuclear warheads.

On Friday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim had personally become acquainted with the production process at the nuclear facility, and had visited the control room of the uranium enrichment facility. The North Korean leader was left feeling “strong” after the inspection, according to the media outlet.

The country’s nuclear sector cannot afford to become complacent with its achievements, Kim stressed. He pointed out the need to “further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons” production in a “fresh leap forward.”

He cited “anti-DPRK nuclear threats perpetrated by the US imperialists-led vassal forces” which have “become more undisguised and crossed the red line.”

According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the report on Kim’s visit “marks the first time North Korea has publicly revealed details of its uranium enrichment facility.”

The media outlet speculated that the North Korean leader might have visited the country’s “second uranium enrichment plant in Kangson.”

On Wednesday, Kim also inspected the “training base of the special operation forces of the Korean People’s Army,” as reported by the KCNA. Addressing the military personnel at the facility, he called on them to “get fully ready for war.”

In a speech on Tuesday marking the 76th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, Kim also singled out the enhancement of Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities as a top priority. At the same time, he described the country as a “responsible nuclear weapons state.”

In light of joint US-South Korean and US-Japanese military exercises in the region, which North Korea sees as a rehearsal for aggression against it, Pyongyang has recently conducted multiple missile tests.

In July, it claimed to have tested a new tactical ballistic missile, the Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5, which North Korea says is capable of carrying a 4.5-ton super-sized warhead that can hit targets at a distance of about 300 miles (500km).