The leader of North Korea asked his armed forces to prepare for war with the US as he blamed Washington for the current tension on the Korean peninsula, state-run media said Thursday.

During the second day of the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday, Kim Jong-un said the US is engaged in an unprecedented confrontation against North Korea.

Kim set forth the militant tasks for the Peoples Army and the munitions industry, nuclear weapons and civil defense sectors to further accelerate the war preparations, the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim.

He said the political and military situation has reached an extreme because of anti-North Korea moves by the US.

Kim also vowed to extend relations of strategic cooperation with the anti-imperialist independent countries.

Last week, Kim warned that his country will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy" provokes it with nukes.

Pyongyang recently test-launched a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile fueled by solid propellants, which raised tension in the region. (Anadolu Agency)

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid