NKorea’s Kim orders ‘exponential’ expansion of nuke arsenal SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the “exponential” expansion of his country’s nuclear arsenal and the development of a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, state media reported Sunday, after he entered 2023 with another weapons launch following a record number of testing activities last year.“The prevailing situation calls for making redoubled efforts to overwhelmingly beef up the military muscle.” During the six-day meeting meant to determine new state objectives, Kim called for “an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal” to mass produce battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea.Chief justice: Judges' safety 'essential' to court system Trump's returns shed light on tax offsets, foreign accounts Trump's taxes: Takeaways from release of long-sought returns Black support for GOP ticked up in this year's midterms “Kim’s comments from the party meeting reads like an ambitious — but perhaps achievable — New Year’s resolution list,” said Soo Kim, a security analyst at the California-based RAND Corporation.Later Sunday, South Korea’s Defense Ministry reiterated a warning that that any attempt to use nuclear weapons by North Korea “will lead to the end of the Kim Jong Un government.” The U.S. military has previously made similar warnings.“It was during his 2018 New Year’s speech that (Kim) first ordered the mass production of warheads and ballistic missiles, and he’s doubling down on that quantitative expansion goal in the coming year,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace."