Kim terms US 'biggest enemy', calls to develop more nuclear weapons to combat 'hostility'

Seoul [South Korea], January 9 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the United States the "biggest enemy" of his country and vowed to advance the nuclear arsenal of his country unless the US ended what he called its "hostility" to his regime, reported state media.
"Washington's policy against Pyongyang won't change regardless of who is in the White House, adding that an end to its hostile stance will be the key to future relations between the two countries," Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Kim on Friday speaking at the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party.
Kim Jong-un also ordered officials to develop missiles with multiple warheads, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, spy satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Kim, who had previously avoided using any provocative words and stayed mum on Joe Biden's victory, on Friday made the first reference to the transition of power in Washington since Biden's election as US president in November.
It came days before Biden's inauguration on January 20, which experts see as aimed at pressuring the incoming administration in Washington, reported Yonhap.
"Our external political activities going forward should be focused on suppressing and subduing the US, the basic obstacle, the biggest enemy against our revolutionary development," KCNA said.
Kim has held three meetings with US President Donald Trump, but denuclearization talks between US and North Korea have made little progress since the no-deal summit between the two leaders in Hanoi in 2019. After this summit, North Korea carried out several short-range missiles and other weapons tests.
In October last year, North Korea displayed what was believed to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile on the ruling party's 75th anniversary.
Meanwhile, Biden earlier said that he would not meet the North Korean leader without preconditions, vowing to pursue 'principled' diplomacy on Pyongyang. He has called Kim a 'thug' and 'dictator', denouncing Trump for giving legitimacy to Kim through summits, reported KCNA.
Referring to the summits with Trump, Kim said the US hostile policy has worsened despite the North's "efforts" and "maximum patience" to reduce tensions in the region.
"The reality shows that we need to strengthen the national defense capabilities without a moment of hesitation to deter the United States' nuclear threats and to bring peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA quoted Kim as saying at the party's congress.
Washington has yet to respond to the North's announcement, reported Yonhap.
Meanwhile, during the congress, Kim also unveiled a new economic development plan for the next five years, which centers around self-reliance and self-sufficiency.
The congress which began on Tuesday and is the first in nearly five years was called in the backdrop of continuing calamity, back-to-back typhoons in the summer, a protracted border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, and global sanctions on its economy.
The previous congress was held in 2016 for four days.