North Korea Vows to Expand Nuclear Arsenal Amid U.S.-Led Military Buildup

North Korea has reaffirmed plans to expand its nuclear arsenal, arguing that increased U.S.-led military cooperation with South Korea and Japan has made a stronger nuclear deterrent necessary.

Speaking Thursday at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, North Korean Vice Defence Minister Kim Kang Il said Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear weapons state was irreversible. He accused Washington and its regional allies of intensifying nuclear threats against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Kim said the military buildup by countries North Korea considers hostile justified the creation of a stronger “nuclear shield.” He pledged that Pyongyang would continue expanding its nuclear deterrent to protect what it describes as peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The vice defence minister also criticized growing U.S.-South Korea-Japan security cooperation, claiming Washington was transforming the trilateral partnership into a nuclear alliance. He described North Korea’s constitutionally established nuclear weapons status as a “line of no retreat” and rejected international demands for denuclearisation.

Kim’s participation in the Xiangshan Forum represents a relatively rare high-profile North Korean appearance at an international security conference. It also comes as Pyongyang works to deepen relations with Beijing amid continued tensions with the United States and its Asian allies.

Asked whether U.S. President Donald Trump could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Kang Il said he was not in a position to comment on the possibility.

His remarks followed a statement from Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, who also rejected renewed denuclearisation calls following discussions at the International Atomic Energy Agency. She said North Korea’s nuclear status was “absolute” and had been permanently established both legally and physically.

North Korea’s defence ministry separately criticized recent U.S.-South Korean planning and exercises involving responses to weapons of mass destruction, describing them as confrontational.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the statements appeared designed to reinforce Pyongyang’s position that its nuclear status has become irreversible while providing justification for potential future nuclear and military activities.