Kim Jong Un said the accelerated development of the nuclear and missile program has permanently consolidated the country
North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un stated that the country could “completely destroy” neighboring South Korea, if his security is threatened, in comments this Thursday, 26. He reiterated his refusal to engage with Seoul, but left the door open for dialogue with the US when concluding a party congress that outlined political goals for the next five years.
At the congress, Kim said that the accelerated development of its nuclear and missile program in recent years has “permanently consolidated” the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state, and called on Washington to discard what it perceives as “hostile” policies toward North Korea if it wants to resume the long-stalled dialogue.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said it is regrettable that the neighboring country continues to define inter-Korean relations as hostile and that Seoul will “patiently” seek efforts to stabilize peace.
In recent years, Kim has intensified his rhetoric towards Seoul and underlined his rejection of inter-Korean diplomacy. Experts say this likely does not portend military confrontations, but is intended to advance a broader effort to assert a more assertive regional role, backed by Kim’s nuclear arsenal and his ties to Moscow and Beijing.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that at the congress, Kim also called for the development of new weapons systems to strengthen its nuclear-armed military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, targeting South Korea.
*Content translated with the help of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Broadcast editorial team, Grupo Estado’s real-time news system
