North Korea ends party meeting with calls for nuclear might

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed all-out efforts to bolster his country's nuclear deterrent during a major ruling party meeting where he earlier laid out plans to work toward salvaging the broken economy.

Separately, Kim's powerful sister criticized South Korea's military for saying it had seen an apparent military parade taking place in Pyongyang. Kim Yo Jong, who was described last year as being in charge of inter-Korean relations, said in a statement Wednesday that such close tracking proved Seoul's "hostile approach" toward its rival.

The eight-day Workers' Party congress that ended Tuesday came as Kim Jong Un faces what appears to be the toughest moment of his nine-year rule.

Pandemic-related border closures and floods and typhoons that wiped out summer crops further shocked an economy already devastated by mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.

"We must further strengthen the nuclear war deterrent while doing our best to build up the most powerful military strength," Kim said during his closing remarks at the congress, which were published by state media.

North Korean state television later showed Kim, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a black Mao suit, delivering the speech to thousands of party elites, who responded with thunderous cheers and applause.

Kim said the country must "continue to give fresh spur" in making the military more elite and powerful so that it could cope with "any form of threat and emergency."

"The hostile forces will try to check our advance more frantically, and the world will watch how the political declaration and fighting program of our [party] are realized," he said.

Kim also called for reasserting greater state control over the economy,...