SEOUL, July 10 - North Korea has adopted measures aimed at strengthening its nuclear forces "quantitatively and qualitatively," and its leader urged a broader modernisation of the armed forces, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
The decisions and commentary were delivered at an enlarged meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Military Commission on Thursday, KCNA said. The report quoted leader Kim Jong Un as saying North Korea's security and "true peace" can only be assured by building "a powerful military capable of controlling all threats."
The meeting approved a set of plans focused on several interlocking objectives. KCNA said the commission set out to renew the technical infrastructure of combat systems, a measure framed as necessary to both maintain and advance operational capabilities.
Alongside infrastructure upgrades, the meeting resolved to expand and strengthen the country's nuclear forces. KCNA described this expansion in the terms of both quantitative and qualitative enhancement, indicating a dual emphasis on increased capacity and improved capabilities.
Another feature of the plan is a drive to standardise, specialise and modernise military bases. The report presented these activities as part of a coordinated effort to bring base structure and readiness in line with the broader goals for force modernisation.
The commission also discussed enlarging the remit of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's military intelligence agency, with the stated aim of improving reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Finally, KCNA said the meeting addressed construction of modern naval bases and upgrades to shipyard capacity. Those items were characterised as reflecting what the report called a major change in the status and role of the navy.
Context and considerations
KCNA's account presents a comprehensive set of military priorities emphasising nuclear, intelligence and naval development, and frames them as steps toward securing what the leadership calls "true peace." The report ties technical renewal, structural changes at bases and an expanded intelligence function together as components of the broader modernisation push.