North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for an "exponential increase" of the country's nuclear arsenal, highlighting the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons, as well as development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, the official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday.
During a six-day meeting of North Korea's ruling party that was held through Saturday, Kim criticized the United States for "working hard to establish a new military bloc like (an) Asian version of NATO" by deepening cooperation with South Korea and Japan "on a full scale," KCNA said.
He also denounced South Korea as the North's "undoubted enemy" but did not make individual reference to Japan in his report to an enlarged plenary meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee.
The North will also aim to launch its first reconnaissance satellite at the earliest date possible, according to the report. The party meeting reviewed the country's policies in 2022 and discussed a draft budget for 2023.
