North Korea to expand nuclear force, KCNA says

North Korea has decided to expand its nuclear force “both in quality and quantity” as part of a military modernisation drive, state news agency KCNA reported Friday. KCNA said the decision was made at an enlarged meeting on Thursday of the ruling party's central military commission.
It reported that the measures also include standardising, specialising and modernising military bases, upgrading the technical infrastructure of combat systems and accelerating construction of modern naval bases. KCNA said Kim told participants that the country's peace and security could come only with a “strong army” and the containment of all threats. The report followed earlier weapons tests of the 5,000-tonne naval destroyer Kang Kon, which had tipped over last year during its launch ceremony and was later repaired.
Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since a 2019 summit with the United States collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.