Kim Jong Un committed to nuclear weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country’s nuclear weapons are a solid security guarantee and a “reliable, effective” deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported on Tuesday.

In a speech Monday to war veterans, who gathered to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Kim made clear that his country was committing to retaining its nuclear weapons.

He said North Korea had tried to become “a nuclear state” with “an absolute might” to prevent another war and that it had now built such a deterrent, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

State television footage showed Kim making the remarks in front of a packed out audience at the April 25 House of Culture, a venue which is regularly used for big events and shows.

The video showed no social distancing measures among crowd members and no one was wearing protective clothing.

Kim’s speech followed recent remarks by both North Korean and US officials suggesting they were reluctant to engage in a new round of diplomacy on the North’s nuclear program in the immediate future.