South Korea condemns North Korean leader's vow to bolstering nuclear shield

South Korea on Friday condemned the latest statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to bolster nuclear shield during his visit to a uranium enrichment facility earlier this week, Yonhap news reported.

South Korean Unification Ministry's deputy spokesman Kim In-ae said the international community will never accept Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

"South Korea and the United States as well as the international community have held a firm and concurred posture about the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization," the spokesperson told a press briefing.

She called on Pyongyang to immediately stop its nuclear development program and accept Seoul's offer for denuclearization talks.

On Wednesday, North Korean media reported that the leader inspected a nuclear material production base and a nuclear weapons institute, stressing that bolstering the nuclear shield is "indispensable" to counter "hostile countries," and describing 2025 as a critical year for his country.

In September last year, North Korea publicly disclosed a uranium enrichment facility for the first time when Kim visited it and called for the expansion of nuclear capabilities.