Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has announced that Pyongyang has acquired new "secret weapons" as part of its efforts to strengthen its military capabilities, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday. "We've newly acquired secret weapons and achieved feats in the defense science field that will greatly help bolster our military capability," Kim said, without further elaborating on the "secret weapons."

According to Anadolu Agency, during a speech at the country's Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday, Kim stated that nuclear weapons are an "indispensable choice" for the country's survival, emphasizing that denuclearization is impossible. He highlighted that the world is already aware of the consequences faced by countries that surrender their nuclear weapons and disarm. "We will never give up our nuclear weapons," he asserted.

Kim's revelation follows claims from a Seoul-based newspaper suggesting that the South Korean military has "obtained intelligence" indicating Russia supplied North Korea with a nuclear reactor for use in nuclear-powered submarines. The South Korean military is currently working to verify this report. There has been no official confirmation or denial from Moscow or Pyongyang regarding this claim by the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The report last week indicated that "Russia is believed to have handed over two to three nuclear submarine modules to North Korea in the first half of this year. These modules include the reactor, turbine, and cooling system-the core components of a nuclear propulsion unit. This raises the possibility that North Korea received an entire propulsion system, including a functioning reactor."

Despite the military developments, Kim recalled positive memories of his three meetings with US President Donald Trump between 2018 and 2019. He expressed Pyongyang's openness to talks with Washington, provided that the US drops its demand for the denuclearization of North Korea.