North Korea’s Kim calls for increased nuclear weapons production, citing ‘new Cold War’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an increase in nuclear weapons production in his country to counter a “new Cold War,” with the United States, state media reported Thursday according to The Associated Press.

Kim led the country’s national assembly in a two-day session this week, where it amended the constitution to add his demands for more nuclear weapons, state media reported.

The remarks come two weeks after Kim met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sparking worries in Western countries that North Korea and Russia could be negotiating an arms deal. 

Warming ties between the two countries have concerned U.S. officials, and the rumored arms deal negotiations come as the North ramps up its missile testing programs. In that meeting, Kim backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “just fight.”

Defense analysts said that an arms deal would likely exchange North Korean small arms and ammunition for Russian advanced satellite and missile technologies.

North Korea’s “nuclear force-building policy has been made permanent as the basic law of the state, which no one is allowed to flout with anything,” Kim said in a speech to the assembly. 

He also stressed the need to “push ahead with the work for exponentially boosting the production of nuclear weapons and diversifying the nuclear strike means,” according to state media.

Kim added that South Korea and Japan were teaming up with the U.S. to make an “Asian version of NATO, the root cause of war and aggression.”

“This is just the worst actual threat, not threatening rhetoric or an imaginary entity,” he said.

Kim urged his diplomats to “further promote solidarity with the nations standing against the U.S. and the West’s strategy for hegemony.”

North Korea has tested more than 100 missiles since the start of last year, while the U.S. has responded by strengthening ties with South Korea with military drills and other support.

The Associated Press contributed.