DPRK leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening of the "Defiance Development-2025" arms exhibition, which showcases the country's advanced weaponry and technological strength to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party.

Kim stated that the exhibition highlights the accomplishments of key projects that have advanced to strengthen the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's military structure centered on its nuclear deterrent to make it increasingly modern and sophisticated.

Recognizing that the present unstable security environment leaves no room for complacency in strengthening national defense, Kim assessed the true intent behind the US military buildup as a genuine and serious threat to the security of the DPRK and the broader region.

The DPRK leader noted that if the US continues to ignore the security concerns of regional states, "Pyongyang will be compelled to adopt further military and technical steps to neutralize emerging threats and preserve the balance of power."

DPRK stands firm against US provocations

This comes amid intensified tensions in the region, as the US continues to pursue provocative action against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

State media reported on September 14 that Deputy Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yo Jong, denounced upcoming joint military exercises by the United States, South Korea, and Japan as a “reckless show of strength” that would backfire on the allies.

The trilateral drills scheduled from September 15 to September 19 near South Korea’s Jeju Island will combine naval, air, and missile-defense operations, while Washington and Seoul, which hosts around 28,500 US troops, will also conduct a tabletop exercise designed to integrate their military assets.

“The reckless show of strength made by them in real action in the vicinity of the DPRK, which is the wrong place, will inevitably bring bad results to themselves,” she stressed in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim Yo Jong’s remarks came days after DPRK leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised a test of a solid-fuel engine designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. The trial, described as the ninth and final in the development phase, signals that a full test launch of a new long-range missile could take place in the coming months.

Images published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) last Monday showed Kim observing the fiery blast of the engine with binoculars. One photo captured a red horizontal flame, evidence of what KCNA called a “ground jet test of high-thrust solid-fuel engine using the composite carbon fiber material,” which it said marked “the last one in the development process.”