North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated that asserting the nation's status as a nuclear power represents the sole approach to addressing an uncertain and intricate international security environment, according to reports from the KCNA state news agency on Tuesday.

Kim described how startling and unforeseen developments stem from the aggressive ambitions of dominant powers, intensifying global rivalries, and he pointed to the United States as a factor worsening conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

The remarks came during a Central Committee session of the ruling Workers Party held from Saturday through Monday, the agency noted.

Kim charged that Washington and Seoul are heightening risks on the Korean Peninsula through ongoing enhancements to their joint nuclear capabilities, which he claimed serve only to target North Korea.

According to KCNA, steadily growing nuclear capabilities and fully asserting nuclear state status offer the most effective path to managing the increasingly complex global military and political landscape.

The agency provided no details on concrete steps involving the nuclear stockpile.

Conventional Arms Expansion Directed

Kim further directed increases in standard military resources and faster work on a 10,000-ton strategic guided missile cruiser, KCNA reported.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, observed that the statements highlight Pyongyang ongoing refusal to pursue denuclearization while seeking formal acceptance as a nuclear power.

North Korea is again confirming that denuclearization discussions are no longer viable, Yang noted, adding that any future talks would occur only as a nuclear weapons state on equal terms and might center on arms limitations instead of elimination.

Such negotiations would signal acceptance of a basic deterrent level and call for easing sanctions, differing sharply from gradual denuclearization ideas proposed by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit.

Yang added that mentions of the US-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group and Seoul plans for nuclear-powered submarines were cited by Pyongyang to support its nuclear expansion efforts.

North Korea has ignored multiple sanctions from the United Nations and the United States imposed between 2006 and 2017 that prohibit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development, raising concerns among neighboring countries.

The nation has declared itself a nuclear state and stated that nothing will persuade it to give up atomic arms despite prolonged diplomatic initiatives involving the United States, China, and South Korea.

The party meeting also stressed efforts to update the coal sector and revive mining areas, which Kim identified as a key strategic goal.

Coal continues as North Korea primary energy source, Yang said, with upgrade plans aimed at reducing persistent power shortages.