Kim Jong Un says North Korea planning expansion of nuclear arsenal

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would increase its nuclear weapons arsenal, state news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.

Kim said that North Korea's stockpile should be increased exponentially during a speech on Monday marking the founding day of the country.

"We are now perfectly carrying out the policy on building the nuclear armed forces on increasing the number of nuclear weapons by geometrical progression," KCNA cited Kim as saying.

Kim also accused "hostile" forces of wanting to attack North Korea with nuclear weapons, without specifying which countries he meant nor providing evidence.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), North Korea currently possesses around 50 nuclear warheads, though the exact number is unknown.

Widely isolated North Korea is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and missile programme. The last known nuclear test took place in 2017.

Tensions have risen on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang significantly expanded its missile tests over the past two years, while sharpening its rhetoric against the US and South Korea. It has also intensified its military cooperation with Russia.