North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed that North Korea should seek to strengthen its defense capabilities, adding that it must be considered as a top policy priority under all circumstances.  

According to the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, Kim made the remarks a day earlier in a speech at a defense development exhibition. 

Kim spoke at the Self-Defense 2021 Exhibition saying that efforts to be a strong military power is a sovereign state's right and duty in the name of self-defense. He went on to add that this aim should be achieved regardless of whether it is a time of peace or a confrontational state of affairs. 

He added that recently the United States has signaled that it's not hostile to his country, but there are no grounds to believe that is not the case. 

However, Kim said that the main enemy of North Korea is war itself, not a certain country or forces such as South Korea or the U.S.