Kim emphasized that North Korea intends to solidify its position on the world stage through its nuclear capabilities.
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Published February 26, 2026
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has closed the door on dialogue with South Korea, claiming that South Korea’s military could “completely destroy” its southern neighbor, but also suggested that the future of dialogue with the United States requires Washington to abandon its “hostile” policy toward North Korea.
Kim said on Wednesday, as the country concluded a crucial week of talks with the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), that there is no reason why the United States cannot get along well with the United States “if it respects our current situation as stipulated in the constitution and withdraws its hostile policies.”
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Kim also called for the development of new weapons systems to strengthen the nuclear-armed military, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Mr. Kim has specified that his country will expand its stockpile of intercontinental ballistic missiles that can be launched from underwater, as well as tactical nuclear weapons such as artillery and short-range missiles that can target South Korea.
He also said that North Korea’s accelerated nuclear and missile development in recent years had “permanently cemented” the country’s status as a nuclear power.
“Our country’s status as a nuclear-armed state plays an important role in deterring potential threats from adversaries and maintaining regional stability,” Kim said, calling the country’s nuclear arsenal a “guarantor and safeguard” for its security and interests.
South Korea’s state-run Yonhap news agency said the once-every-five-years Workers’ Party Congress, which drew about 5,000 party delegates from across the country, ended on Wednesday with a military parade through the streets of the capital, Pyongyang.
Photos from state media of the military parade showed a column of soldiers marching through brightly lit Kim Il Sung Square beneath a podium where Kim and his daughter stood alongside other senior officials.
Some troops participating in the parade wore camouflage or special combat uniforms, and a formation of jet aircraft conducted a flyby. It was not immediately clear what military hardware, if any, was on display.
The presence of Kim’s daughter Kim Ju-ae at the parade further fueled speculation about whether she is being groomed as his successor.
