North Korea's Kim doubles down on nuclear buildup

AI핵심 요약

• ·North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday doubled down on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons buildup and confrontational stance toward Seoul.
• ·Experts believe the move is aimed at foreclosing future denuclearization talks and reframing any potential negotiations with Washington around arms control rather than disarmament.
• ·According to the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, the ruling Workers' Party of Korea convened the second plenary meeting of its ninth Central Committee for three days beginning Saturday to review policy implementation in the first half of the year and discuss major tasks for the remaining months.
• ·The party meeting reaffirmed North Korea's commitment to expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, portraying nuclear weapons as the foundation of the country's national defense strategy and military deterrence.
• ·The plenary session unanimously concluded that "to thoroughly exercise the position of a nuclear weapons state is the most correct and unique way to actively and confidently cope with the unpredictable international military and political situation getting complicated in multiple ways." The report also said Kim called for the continued expansion of strategic military capabilities and set a goal of developing defense assets at a pace that would allow the country to "overtake the world."…