Kim reaffirms arms buildup at party meet

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on his arms buildup in the face of what he described as an aggravating security environment as he concluded a major political conference that came as the United States and South Korean officials say Pyongyang is pressing ahead with preparations for another nuclear test that could be imminent.

Kim's comments, published by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday, didn't include any direct criticism of the US or its southern neighbor amid a prolonged deadlock in nuclear diplomacy during the three days of discussions that wrapped up on Friday.