#North #Koreas #Kim #hes #ready #mobilize #nuclear #weapons
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is “ready to mobilize its nuclear deterrent in a future military clash with the United States and South Korea,” state media said on Thursday.
Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test – a move the United States has warned would provoke a “swift and forceful” response.
In Kim’s recent speech marking the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War – known in the North as “Victory Day” – he said the country’s armed forces were “thoroughly prepared” for any crisis.
“Our country’s nuclear war deterrence is also ready to mobilize its absolute power according to its mission faithfully, accurately and promptly,” Kim said in a speech on Wednesday, according to the official Pyongyang Korean Central News Agency.
In a speech to war veterans marking the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, Kim stressed the country’s “thorough readiness” to “manage any military clash with the United States.”
His latest threats come as South Korea and the United States advance joint military drills that have always infuriated the North, as Pyongyang views them as rehearsals for an invasion.
This week, for the first time since 2019, the US military conducted live-fire drills using its advanced Apache helicopters stationed in the South.
Kim also slammed South Korea’s new, hawkish President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May and vowed to take a tougher stance on Pyongyang — which includes a plan to mobilize a pre-emptive strike capacity.
“Talking about military action against our nation, which has absolute weapons they fear most, is absurd and a very dangerous self-destructive action,” Kim said of the Yoon government, which he branded a group of “gangsters.” .
“Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our mighty strength and Yoon Suk Yeol’s government and his military will be annihilated.”
– ‘Just Effort’ –
The North has conducted a record-breaking blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including launching an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017.
Nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled since a February 2019 summit between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump over lifting sanctions and what the North would be willing to give up in exchange.
The Kim regime has since rejected repeated offers from Washington and Seoul to resume talks, claiming the United States must first abandon its “hostile” policies.
Impoverished Pyongyang has long struggled to feed its people, and its economy has been hit by pandemic-related border closures and sanctions over its nuclear programs.
The country was also battling a massive outbreak of “fever” after confirming its first cases of Covid-19 in May.
“Kim’s rhetoric builds external threats to justify his military-focused and economically struggling regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs violate international law, but Kim is attempting to portray its destabilizing buildup as a just attempt at self-defense.”
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