Kim Jong-un Thursday said North Korean is “ready to mobilise” its nuclear deterrent in any future military clash with the United States and South Korea.
“Our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilise its absolute power faithfully, accurately and promptly in accordance with its mission,” Mr Kim said in a speech monitored by Per Second News from Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned that Pyongyang is preparing to carry out its seventh nuclear test — a move that the United States has warned would provoke a “swift and forceful” response.
Speaking to war veterans on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, Mr Kim emphasised the country’s “thorough readiness” to “deal with any military clash with the United States”.
His latest threats come as South Korea and the US move to step up joint military exercises, which have always infuriated the North as Pyongyang considers them rehearsals for invasion.
This week, the US military held live-fire drills using its advanced Apache helicopters stationed in the South for the first time since 2019.
Kim also condemned South Korea’s new, hawkish president Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May and has vowed to take a tougher stance against Pyongyang, which includes a plan to mobilise a pre-emptive strike capability.
“Talking about military action against our nation, which possess absolute weapons that they fear the most, is preposterous and is very dangerous self-destructive action,” Mr Kim said of the Yoon administration, which he branded a group of “gangsters”.
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