North Korea vows to accelerate nuclear and military buildup

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate the expansion of his country's nuclear arsenal and military capabilities, declaring that exercising its position as a nuclear state is the only way to cope with an unpredictable global security situation. The statements were made in a concluding speech at a three-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, which concluded on Monday.

Kim accused the United States and South Korea of making the security situation on the Korean Peninsula more dangerous by steadily upgrading their combined nuclear posture, which he said was intended solely to attack North Korea. He also criticized the U.S. for what he called "gangster-like" greed, blaming it for worsening bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East. In his remarks, Kim singled out Japan, describing it as a "defeated country" that has transformed itself into a "war state," a move he said was inviting international backlash.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that the plenary meeting unanimously recognized North Korea's nuclear status as the most correct path forward. Kim set forth tasks to increase powerful defense assets "without pause in our...