North Korea: US, S Korea threaten peace with military buildup

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said his country's weapons development is necessary in the face of hostile policies from the United States and a military buildup in South Korea that is destabilising the peninsula.

Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defence and not to start a war, Kim said in a speech at the Defence Development Exhibition on Tuesday, according to a report by state news agency KCNA.

Kim made the remarks standing in front of a variety of weapons, including a Hwasong-16 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), photos in the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed.

The Hwasong-16 is North Korea's largest ICBM and was unveiled at a military parade in October 2020, but not yet test fired.

"We are not discussing war with anyone, but rather to prevent war itself and to literally increase war deterrence for the protection of national sovereignty," he said.

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Accelerating arms race

The two Koreas have been in an accelerating arms race, with both sides testing increasingly advanced short-range ballistic missiles and other hardware.

South Korea recently test fired its first submarine-launched ballistic missile, plans to build major new weapons include aircraft carriers, and has bought American-made F-35 stealth fighters.

North Korea has pushed ahead with its missile programme and analysts say it has begun a major expansion of its main nuclear reactor, used to produce fuel for nuclear bombs.

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US willing to hold diplomatic talks

The United States has said it is willing to hold diplomatic talks at any time with North Korea, Pyongyang has said it is not interested as long as Washington maintains policies such as sanctions and military activities in South Korea.

The United States' assertions that it holds no hostile feelings toward North Korea are hard to believe in the face of its continued "wrong judgments and actions," Kim said, without elaborating.

South Korea's "unrestricted and dangerous" efforts to strengthen its military is "destroying the military balance in the Korean peninsula and increasing military instability and danger," Kim said.

Kim accused Seoul of "reckless ambition" and a "two-faced, illogical" attitude.

"Under the absurd pretext of suppressing our threats, South Korea has openly expressed its desire to gain an edge over us in military power on various occasions," he added.

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