North Korea says ready to use nuclear weapons at any time

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said that his country will increase its nuclear arsenal “exponentially”.

Kim Jong Un has promised a multiple increase in the number of nuclear weapons, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

During a speech marking the anniversary of North Korea's founding, Kim Jong Un emphasised that the country must more thoroughly prepare its nuclear capabilities and readiness to use them appropriately at any time to ensure the state's security rights.

He added that a strong military presence is needed to counter the various threats posed by the US and its allies.

Pyongyang “will steadily strengthen its nuclear force capable of fully coping with any threatening acts imposed by its nuclear-armed rival states”, he said.

Kim also said North Korea was facing a “grave threat” from what it said was a US-led nuclear-based military bloc in the region, adding that the country will “redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state, including the nuclear force, fully ready for combat”.

Kim said his country was a “responsible nuclear weapons state”, adding that “our nuclear weapons for defending ourselves do not pose a threat to anyone”.

Kim’s speech comes as relations between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North recently announcing the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers to its southern border.