Kim Jong Un says government will keep strengthening nation’s nuclear status

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has pledged to consolidate his country’s nuclear status while maintaining a tough stance on South Korea, which he called the “most hostile” state, state media said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

In a speech to parliament in Pyongyang on Monday, Kim accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression” globally, apparently referring to the war in the Middle East, and said North Korea would play a more forceful role in a united front against Washington amid growing anti-US sentiment.

The AP reported that the North Korean official said whether opponents “choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is up to them, and we are ready to respond to any choice.”

KIM JONG UN APPEARS WITH HIS TEENAGE DAUGHTER DURING A LIVE-FIRING ROCKET TEST IN NORTH KOREA

This photo taken on February 15, 2026 and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 16, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via Getty Images)

“The nation’s dignity, national interest and final victory can only be guaranteed by the strongest power,” Kim said, according to the AP. “The government of our republic will continue to consolidate our absolutely irreversible status as a nuclear power and wage an aggressive struggle against hostile forces to crush their (anti-North Korean) provocations and plans.”

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

This photo taken on February 21, 2026 and released by the official Korean News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 22, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reporting on the review of the work of the Party Central Committee for his eighth term during the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2026 Annual Threat Assessment states that “North Korea remains committed to expanding its strategic weapons programs, including missiles and nuclear warheads, and consolidating its deterrence capability.”

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This photo taken on February 2, 2026 and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 3, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering a speech at the inauguration of the Samgwang Livestock Farm in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via Getty Images)

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The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran more than three weeks ago in an effort to prevent the Islamic Republic from potentially joining the ranks of other countries with nuclear weapons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report