PYONGYANG – The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) met on Friday with scientists and technicians in the nuclear field as he guided an important consultative meeting related to the production of nuclear materials and weapons, the state media reported on Saturday.

During the meeting, Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, listened to a report on the implementation of the plan to increase the capacity of the nuclear-material production field for 2025, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

He learned about the recent work and production activities of the Nuclear Weapons Institute, and was briefed about next year's plan and development prospects of the nuclear-material production field and the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

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"The powerful deterrent, namely, the logic of peace-keeping and security by force with nuclear forces as its backbone is the invariable stand of the DPRK," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Steadily stepping up preparations for the state's nuclear countermeasures is an essential top-priority task given the country's security environment, he said.

Stressing the importance of constantly strengthening and upgrading "the nuclear shield and sword," the DPRK leader pledged that his country will "give top priority to providing and supporting every possibility and condition to the nuclear technology field for its sustained development”, the KCNA report said.