North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said an elevated U.S. security partnership with South Korea and Japan poses a grave threat to his country and vowed to further bolster his nuclear weapons program.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kangdong County Hospital and General Service Center in Kangdong County, North Korea, February 6, 2025, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticised trilateral military cooperation among the United States, Japan and South Korea for raising tensions in the region and vowed countermeasures, including the further development of nuclear forces.

Kyiv had indicated last week the North Koreans may have been withdrawn due to heavy losses in battle.

Pyongyang is believed to have sent some 11,000 soldiers to help Putin’s army recapture a swathe of the Kursk region of Russia which Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise attack last summer. The Russian military has been gradually gaining ground in the attempt to force Ukrainian units out of Kursk.