(SEOUL) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he is ready to use nuclear weapons in a military conflict against South Korea and the United States, state media reported on Thursday. The dictator has launched a new belligerent rhetoric against these countries, which he accuses of wanting to plunge the Korean peninsula into war.
Posted at 11:42 pm yesterday.
In a speech to Korean War veterans at the event of ’69e On the anniversary of the end of the 1950 to 1953 conflict, Kim Jong-un appears to have sought to strengthen the national unity of his impoverished country, which has been hit hard by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the two allies prepare to step up their joint military exercises, North Korea is likely to intensify its threats against the US and South Korea. The exercises the North perceives as a rehearsal for an invasion of its territory.
“Our armed forces are fully prepared to face any crisis and our deterrent nuclear weapons are ready to mobilize their full force to fulfill their mission,” the president warned. .
He accused the U.S. of “demonizing” North Korea to justify its hostile policies, and later argued that military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea were evidence of U.S. double standards because Washington qualified every military exercise with the North. threat.
Kim Jong-un also attacked new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, whom he described as a “conflict fanatic.” He likens Yun’s conservative government to a system “run by thugs.”
Since taking office, President Yoon has made announcements to strengthen Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and increase its ability to neutralize nuclear threats from the South. He also mentioned the possibility of pre-emptive strikes.
“Talking about military interventions against our nation, which they fear above all, is fully armed, is an absurd, suicidal and extremely dangerous gesture,” the North’s leader threatened.
“Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our power, and Yun Suk Yeol’s government and his army will be destroyed,” he added.
