The comments come after North Korea claimed it completed a test of an engine intended for long-range ballistic missiles
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has hinted that the country has developed “secret weapons” to bolster deterrence against the US and its allies.
In a speech carried by the state-run KCNA news agency on Monday, Kim said Pyongyang must “continuously stockpile even more formidable forces capable of repelling all military threats,” and accused Washington and its allies of destabilizing the region by staging “provocative actions that further escalate tensions” and disregarding North Korea’s security concerns.
To offset the perceived threat, North Korea has “acquired new secret weapons and has achieved a significant number of research achievements in defense science,” Kim said, without elaborating.
He added that Pyongyang also “successfully built a strategic axis for safeguarding maritime sovereignty by producing destroyers capable of performing various maritime military missions.”
His comments come after North Korea said earlier this month it completed the final ground test of a solid-fuel engine intended for the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon that could potentially reach the continental US.
Last week, Kim also oversaw tests of tactical attack drones known as Kumsong and an unmanned strategic reconnaissance aircraft. In March, he observed tests of AI-powered “suicide drones.”
In his speech, Kim also reiterated his criticism of the concept of “phased denuclearization,” stressing that “we will never give up our nuclear weapons,” while noting that North Korea’s nuclear status is a “national law.”
At the same time, he struck a peaceful tone, saying if the US abandons what he called a “vain obsession with denuclearization and acknowledges reality,” the two countries would have an opportunity to forge ties.
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