Kim pledged exponential nuclear buildup after touring new plant

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged an "exponential" expansion of the country's nuclear forces after visiting a newly opened nuclear materials production factory, state media reported on June 4. KCNA said Kim laid out an ambitious plan to accelerate the buildup and said weapons-grade nuclear material production capacity had more than doubled over the previous five years. North Korea did not disclose the plant's location, though analysts cited by Channel News Asia said it was likely a new uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon. Pyongyang has rejected US pressure to abandon its arsenal, calling its nuclear path irreversible. North Korea withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993, has carried out six nuclear tests and is believed to hold dozens of warheads.