Flanked by missiles, North Korea's Kim says U.S. and South Korea threaten peace

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event celebrating the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on October 11, 2021 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA/via REUTERS.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Standing beside North Korea's largest missiles, leader Kim Jong Un said his country's weapons development is necessary in the face of hostile policies https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-has-right-test-weapons-given-hostile-policies-un-envoy-2021-09-27 from the United States and a military buildup in South Korea https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-blazes-new-path-with-most-potent-conventional-missile-submarine-2021-09-08, state media said on Tuesday.

Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defence and not to start a war, Kim told a defence exhibition on Monday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency reported.