(SeaPRwire) –   North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen his country’s nuclear standing while maintaining an uncompromising stance toward South Korea, which he labeled the “most hostile” nation, state media reported Tuesday, per The Associated Press.

During a Monday address to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim accused the United States of carrying out global “state terrorism and aggression,” in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East, and noted that North Korea will take a more assertive role in a unified front against Washington as anti-American sentiment continues to rise.

The AP reported that the North Korean official stated that the matter of whether opponents “choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is up to them, and we are prepared to respond to any choice.”

“The dignity of the nation, its national interest and its ultimate victory can only be guaranteed by the strongest of power,” Kim said, per the AP. “The government of our republic will continue to consolidate our absolutely irreversible status as a nuclear power and will aggressively wage a struggle against hostile forces to crush their (anti-North Korean) provocations and schemes.”

The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment from the U.S. Intelligence Community states, “North Korea remains committed to expanding its strategic weapons programs, including missiles and nuclear warheads, and to solidifying its deterrent capability.” 

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran more than three weeks ago in an effort to prevent the Islamic Republic from potentially joining the ranks of other nations that possess nuclear weapons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report