Mr Kim’s claims come on the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, on July 27. To mark the anniversary, the North Korean leader hosted a reception for veterans, the official KCNA news agency reported.

The nation has nuclear weapons armament in order to achieve “absolute strength”, which in turn avoids another armed conflict, Mr Kim said in a speech transcribed by KCNA.

He stressed the defensive nature of the programmes.

He said: “Now we are capable of defending ourselves in the face of any form of high intensity pressure and military threats from imperialist and hostile forces.

“Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defensive nuclear deterrent, there will no longer be war, and our country’s safety and future will be firmly guaranteed forever.”

His claims come as discussions about taking down the nation’s nuclear and missile deterrent in exchange for penalty relief from the US remain halted.

Mr Kim met US President Donald Trump for the first time in 2018 in Singapore.

The meeting suggested that both countries could reach an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear deterrent.

However, their second convergence, in 2019 in Vietnam, and following work talks collapsed.

Previously, Mr Trump threatened to rain “fire and fury” on North Korea.

READ MORE: Coronavirus row breaks out on bus as driver gets in fiery exchange

In an interview with Gray Television’s Greta Van Susteren, Mr Trump said: “I understand they want to meet and we would certainly do that.

”I would do it if I thought it was going to be helpful.”

When Ms Van Susteren asked him if he thought such a summit would be advantageous, Mr Trump said: “Probably. I have a very good relationship with him, so it probably would be.”

North Korea has twice this month said it is not interested in more summits with the US.

It reiterated another meeting would only help Mr Trump’s domestic political plans.

Kwon Jong Gun, a North Korean foreign ministry official, in an article in the state-run Korean Central News Agency, said: “Explicitly speaking once again, we have no intention to sit face to face with the US.”

Reinforcing the message, Senior North Korean diplomat Choe Son Hui said: ”We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the US, as it does not consider the DPRK-US dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis.”

Despite this response from North Korea’s officials, Mr Trump has insisted his relationship with Mr Kim remains strong.

Speaking to Ms Van Susteren, he said: “Just so you understand, [it’s been] almost four years we’re not in a war. Almost anybody else would have been in a war.

“I get along, we talk, and let’s see what happens. But we’ve done a great job and haven’t been given the credit we deserve.”