Kim Jong Un said he had no choice but to press forward with his nuclear ambitions and forge deeper relations with other countries that oppose the US.
North Korea said it is planning to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones, and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 as leader Kim Jong Un warned that US policy is making war inevitable, state media reported on Sunday.
“If we look closely at the confrontational military actions by the enemy forces …. the word ‘war’ has become a realistic reality and not an abstract concept,” Kim said as he lashed out at the US in lengthy remarks wrapping up five days of ruling party meetings that set economic, military and foreign policy goals for the coming year, Reuters reported citing state news agency KCNA.
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“Because of reckless moves by the enemies to invade us, it is a fait accompli that a war can break out at any time on the Korean peninsula,” he said, according to state news agency KCNA.
Kim ordered the military to prepare to “pacify the entire territory of South Korea”, including with nuclear bombs if necessary, in response to any attack. The North Korean leader’s speech comes ahead of a year that will see pivotal elections in both South Korea and the United States.
Stating that he could not overlook the return of such weapons which according to him completely transformed South Korea into a “forward military base and nuclear arsenal” of the United States, Kim said he had no choice but to press forward with his nuclear ambitions and forge deeper relations with other countries that oppose the US. North Korea has deep relations with both China and Russia.
South Korea will also hold a parliamentary election in April that could impact the domestic and foreign agenda for conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has maintained a hawkish stance toward Pyongyang.
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South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned on Thursday that “there is a high possibility that North Korea could unexpectedly conduct military provocations or stage a cyberattack in 2024, when fluid political situations are expected with the elections”.
Kim has also ruled out the possibility of unifying with South Korea, and the country must fundamentally change its principles and direction toward South Korea.
“North-South relations are no longer a kinship or homogeneous relationship but have completely become a relationship between two hostile countries, two belligerents at war,” the 39-year-old North Korean leader said, calling the South a colonised state completely dependent on the United States for national defence and security.
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What does Kim Jong Un’s warning mean?
According to experts, North Korea will maintain a campaign of military pressure to try to increase any leverage around the US presidential elections in November, which could see the return of former President Donald Trump, who traded in both threats and historic diplomacy with Kim.
“Pyongyang might be waiting out the US presidential election to see what its provocations can buy it with the next administration,” Reuters quoted Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, as saying.
Julianne Smith, US permanent representative to the NATO, said earlier this month the US assessed that the suspected Russian technologies North Korea seeks were related to fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armoured vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials of that kind. Smith said US intelligence indicates that North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions, news agency AP reported.
The administration of US President Joe Biden said it is open to talks, but it imposed new sanctions as North Korea pushed ahead with more banned missile tests. The US also increased drills and deployed more military assets such as nuclear-armed submarines and large aircraft carriers near the Korean peninsula.
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)
