North Korea says U.S.-led arms buildup justifies expanding nuclear force

North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il looks on before a plenary session at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Sept. 17. | REUTERS

Sep 17, 2026

North Korea’s vice defense minister said on Thursday that a growing U.S.-led military buildup and what he called an expanding nuclear alliance among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo justified Pyongyang’s efforts to strengthen and expand its nuclear forces.

Speaking at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China’s flagship international security conference, Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il said North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state was irreversible and pledged to continue expanding its nuclear arsenal.

“The ceaseless nuclear arms buildup of the enemy states fully justifies the building of a solid nuclear shield of the DPRK,” Kim said, using the acronym for North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

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