Kim Jong Un to Focus on Expanding North Korea's Nuclear Weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he will focus on expanding his country’s nuclear arsenal. He also said that the prospect of improved relations with the United States depends entirely on Washington’s attitude.

“It is the firm determination of our party to further expand and strengthen our national nuclear forces, and fully implement our status as a nuclear-armed state,” Kim said in a speech at the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

“We will focus on projects to increase the number of nuclear weapons and expand operational nuclear capabilities,” he added, according to North Korean state media KCNA, as reported by Reuters and Al Arabiya, Thursday (26/2/2026).

North Korea has assembled around 50 warheads and has enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more, and is accelerating the production of fissile material further, according to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank last year.

KCNA reported that Kim also outlined plans for North Korea to develop more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, including those that can be launched from submarines, attack systems using artificial intelligence and weapons that can strike enemy satellites.

The congress concluded with a military parade in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on Wednesday (25/2) local time. Photos from state media of the military parade showed formations of soldiers marching in Kim Il Sung Square. Meanwhile, on the podium, Kim and his daughter, Ju Ae, stood with senior officials.

Some of the troops in the parade wore camouflage and special war gear, and fighter jets performed low-flying stunts.

No military hardware was visible in the photos. KCNA also did not mention strategic weapons as displayed in the military parade in October last year.

Kim also opened the door for talks with the United States, while emphasising that North Korea maintains a “most hardline” stance as its policy towards the US.

“If the US withdraws its confrontational policy towards North Korea by respecting our country’s current status… there is no reason why we cannot get along well with the US,” Kim said, according to KCNA.