SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang will unveil a policy to advance both its nuclear arsenal and conventional military power at an upcoming key ruling party meeting, state media said Saturday.
Since a failed summit with the United States in 2019, North Korea has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons and declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state.
While visiting weapons research facilities this week, Kim said Pyongyang "would put forward the policy of simultaneously pushing forward the building of nuclear forces and conventional armed forces", according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim also emphasised the need to "modernise" the country's conventional armed forces, without specifying the date of the party meeting.
Moscow and Pyongyang signed a mutual defense pact last year when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the state.
Ambitious military agenda
Seoul has repeatedly warned that Russia is stepping up support for Pyongyang, including the potential transfer of sensitive Russian military technology, in return for North Korea's assistance in fighting Ukraine.
At the last party congress in January 2021, Kim unveiled an ambitious military agenda, pledging to develop advanced weapons such as military spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Analysts say they expect the upcoming meeting to be held early next year.
