Kim Jong Un has announced plans to further expand and strengthen North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, while signalling that future relations with the United States will depend entirely on Washington’s approach toward Pyongyang. Speaking at the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Kim reiterated that his country’s nuclear status is non-negotiable and must be accepted as a reality by the international community.

Kim stated that the United States must first acknowledge North Korea’s current constitutional position on nuclear weapons and withdraw what he described as a hostile policy. He suggested that improved ties remain possible if Washington changes its stance, indicating that Pyongyang is not completely closing the door on diplomacy despite its firm rhetoric. The remarks come at a sensitive time in global geopolitics and ahead of a planned visit by Donald Trump to China in April.

According to North Korea’s state media, Kim emphasised that the country will continue to modernise its strategic deterrent to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests. Analysts view the statement as part of Pyongyang’s long-standing strategy of combining military pressure with conditional openness to negotiations, a pattern seen repeatedly in past US–North Korea engagements.

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The announcement is likely to heighten tensions in the region, particularly among the United States and its allies in East Asia, who have consistently called for denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, Kim’s carefully worded remarks leave room for potential diplomatic engagement, suggesting that while North Korea intends to press ahead with nuclear development, it is still positioning itself for possible talks if geopolitical conditions shift.

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