SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday that the country’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material has more than doubled over the past five years and pledged to expand its nuclear capabilities at an “exponential” rate, according to state media.
During a visit to a newly built nuclear material production facility, Kim said North Korea had adopted what he described as an ambitious plan to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.
Kim said the increase in production represented a significant development in North Korea’s nuclear program and would accelerate the expansion of its nuclear capabilities.
North Korea maintains that its nuclear arsenal serves as a deterrent against potential attacks by South Korea and U.S. forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected international calls to abandon its nuclear weapons program and has described its nuclear policy as irreversible.
North Korea withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1993 and has conducted six nuclear tests since then.
The country remains subject to multiple sanctions and resolutions imposed by the United Nations over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Analysts widely believe North Korea possesses dozens of nuclear warheads, although the exact size of its arsenal remains unknown.