North Korea defended its right to maintain a nuclear weapons program at a United Nations disarmament conference held shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the North as a "nuclear power.

Experts say Kim's public demand for more weapons-grade nuclear material is a calculated move to take denuclearisation off the table North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's latest public push to expand his country's nuclear arsenal is part of a calculated move to pressure Washington into accepting arms reduction talks instead of full denuclearisation,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a facility that produces nuclear material and called for bolstering the country's nuclear fighting capability, state media reported Wednesday, as the North looks to increase pressure on the United States following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.