Kim Jong-un says North Korea will use nuclear weapons ‘at any time’ if threatened

Leader vows to boost nuclear arsenal primarily as deterrent but also against forces that try to violate' interests of nation

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to move faster in bolstering his nuclear forces and threatened to use them if provoked in a speech during a military parade that featured powerful weapons systems that could be used to target the country's rivals.

His remarks suggest he will continue provocative weapons tests in a pressure campaign to wrest concessions from the US and its allies. The parade on Monday night was to mark the 90th anniversary of North Korea's army - the backbone of the Kim family's authoritarian rule - and was held as the country's economy is battered by pandemic-related difficulties, punishing US-led sanctions and its own mismanagement.