N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un vows to maintain status as nuclear state

BEIJING - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to maintain the country's status as a nuclear weapons state and said South Korea has been designated as the "most hostile" nation, official media reported Tuesday.

Kim made the declaration in a policy speech delivered Monday during a session of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's top legislature, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. North Korea proclaimed its status as a nuclear power in 2012.