TOKYO, September 28. /TASS/. The actions of the US and its satellites are leading to a second Cold War, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said, addressing the Supreme People's Assembly.

According to him, Pyongyang holds nuclear weapons "for self-defense purposes amid a long-term confrontation with the US - the world’s largest owner of nuclear weapons and the most dangerous military state - and its satellites."

"The reactionary imperialist forces, obsessed with a passion for dominance and expansionist fantasies, are paving the way globally for a second Cold War, and the existence of sovereign countries is under a serious threat," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim Jong Un as saying.

The North Korean leader also highlighted "the need to maintain and strengthen solidarity with the countries that have risen up against the hegemonic approach of the US and the West." In a situation where "the United States’ instigating military plots aimed against North Korea are reaching their peak," it is crucial to act as "a responsible nuclear power" struggling for stability on the Korean Peninsula "based on the clear superiority of the strategic deterrence forces," the North Korean leader said.