SEOUL, July 28 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was ready to mobilize its assets to deter nuclear war and counter any U.S. military confrontation and criticized South Korea’s new president for the first time, warning , that Seoul is approaching the brink of war.
Kim made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the armistice in the Korean War on July 27, which left the two Koreas technically still at war, according to the official KCNA news agency on Thursday.
The confrontation with the United States creates nuclear threats from the 1950-1953 war and requires the North to achieve an “urgent historical task” to strengthen its self-defense, Kim said.
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“Our armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any crisis, and our nation’s nuclear war deterrent is also fully prepared to mobilize its absolute power faithfully, accurately and rapidly for its mission,” he said.
Kim also condemned South Korea’s new conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol by name for the first time, accusing him of threatening North Korea’s security and right to self-defense.
Yun’s office deeply regretted Kim’s “threatening” remarks, saying South Korea was capable of responding “strongly and effectively” to any provocation at any time.
“We again call on North Korea to take the path of dialogue to achieve substantial denuclearization and peace,” Yoon’s spokeswoman Kang In-sun told a briefing.
Kim’s speech came after officials in Seoul and Washington said Pyongyang had completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
South Korea’s unification minister, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said on Tuesday there was a “possibility” of the test around the armistice anniversary, although a military official said there was no immediate sign of that.
North Korea is likely to face tougher sanctions, including measures targeting its cyber-attack capabilities, if it goes ahead with the test, South Korea’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Read more
In the speech, Kim said Washington was continuing “dangerous, illegal hostilities” against the North and was trying to justify its behavior by “demonizing” the country.
The North has long accused the United States of double standards in military activities and pursuing a hostile policy toward Pyongyang, saying it is obstructing the resumption of talks aimed at dismantling the country’s nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sanctions relief.
“The United States’ bilateral act of misleading all routine actions of our armed forces as ‘provocation’ and ‘threat’ while conducting large-scale joint military exercises that seriously threaten our security is literally robbery,” Kim said.
“This is driving the bilateral relationship to the point where it is difficult to go back, to a state of conflict.
“ABSOLUTE WEAPON”
Kim also said “warmongers” and “disgusting thugs” in the Yun administration were targeting confrontational military action, pointing to Seoul’s weapons development and drive to return US strategic nuclear assets as well as military exercises to allies.
Their “abhorrent policy of confrontation” towards the North and “nefarious, treacherous actions” are pushing the situation to the brink of war, he said.
In recent months, North Korea has been testing hypersonic missiles and rockets it says can carry tactical nuclear weapons, narrowing the time Seoul would have to respond to an impending attack.
Yun has vowed to complete the so-called “Kill Chain” system, which calls for pre-emptive strikes against the North’s missiles and possibly its leadership if an imminent attack is detected.
But that system will never be able to cover the North’s “absolute weaponry,” Kim said.
“Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by a powerful force and Yun Suk-yeol’s government and his army will be destroyed,” he said.
Seoul’s defense ministry has said it will continue to strengthen its own capabilities, and the US has expanded deterrence, including its nuclear umbrella, to better respond to Pyongyang’s threats.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Kim’s remarks appeared to be aimed at emphasizing the legitimacy of the weapons development and his “eye for an eye” approach to Washington and Seoul.
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Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Richard Pullin, Michael Perry and Tomasz Janowski
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