North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for "indefinitely" strengthening his regime's nuclear weapons capacity, state media reported Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected a facility that produces nuclear material and called for bolstering the country’s nuclear capability, state media reported Wednesday, as it ramps up pressure on the United States following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Washington has provided extended deterrence, or a "nuclear umbrella," to Tokyo and Seoul in the face of Pyongyang's nuclear threat. It is a commitment made by the U.S. to deter and to respond potential nuclear and non-nuclear scenarios in defense of its East Asian allies.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for bolstering nuclear forces this year during a visit to a nuclear material production base and nuclear weapons institute, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.

North Korea has test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, the North's state media reported Sunday, quoting Kim as saying that Pyongyang's deterrence means are being perfected.

North Korea's foreign ministry vowed the "toughest counteraction" against the United States as long as Washington "refuses" the country's sovereignty.

North Korea announced it had performed a test of its cruise missile system on Saturday. It was the communist country’s fourth known missile launch since November and the second in less than a week since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Kim Jong Un Vs Trump | Kim Jong Un Nuclear | US News | North Korea News As Donald Trump eyes a potential return to the White House, North Korea's Kim Jong Un is ramping up tensions by showcasing his nuclear arsenal through recent missile tests.

North Korea carried out missile tests on Saturday in the latest act of defiance from the hermit kingdom, which has been ramping up its military activity in recent months