(LEAD) N. Korea’s leader vows push for exponential increase in nuclear weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to bolster the country's nuclear capabilities to deter any threats by enemies, saying it is steadily carrying out a policy to increase the number of nuclear weapons exponentially, state media said Tuesday. Kim made the vow during a speech in a meeting with senior party and government officials on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of the regime, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North's leader delivered a speech for the first time on Sept. 9, since he assumed power in 2011, according to South Korea's unification ministry. Kim used the speech to reiterated his pledge to bolster the county's nuclear force, saying the U.S.-led move to expand a military bloc in the region has posed a grave security threat. "The obvious conclusion is that the nuclear force of the DPRK and the posture capable of properly using it for ensuring the state's right to security in any time should be more thoroughly perfected," Kim said, using the acronym of t he North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Source: Yonhap News Agency