Economics
Kim Jong Un Open to Closer US Ties If Respected as Nuclear Power
This picture by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Feb. 16.
Source: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it may be possible to improve relations with the US if Washington recognizes his country as a nuclear power, as he outlined plans to bolster his weapons arsenal and build more nukes.
Speaking at North Korea’s first ruling party congress in five years, Kim laid out his vision for more weapons development, vowing to build stronger intercontinental ballistic missiles, while urging the US to drop its longstanding demand that his country denuclearize, state media reported Thursday.