North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reiterated his determination to maintain the country’s status as a nuclear power on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the regime’s founding.

The North’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Wednesday that Kim delivered a speech the previous day in a ceremony marking the national foundation day at Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang. 

During the event, Kim extended a salute to the generals, military officers, and soldiers involved in overseas military operations, in an apparent reference to North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

Kim also said that the 77-year-long effort to build a powerful nation, which began with the founding of a new Korea, is now being proudly recognized as the country has achieved a “remarkable status,” according to the KCNA.

Kim did not directly mention nuclear weapons, but his reference to a "remarkable status" appears to imply that the country is a nuclear state.

Kim also said no one can hurt the absolute status and safety of the country, adding that the powerful current towards an era of prosperity that North Korea has created for itself cannot be reversed by any force.