Sylvie Claire / July 28, 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is ready to deploy its nuclear deterrent in case of a future military confrontation with the United States and South Korea, official media reported Thursday.
Our country's nuclear deterrent is also ready to mobilize its absolute power reliably, accurately and quickly in accordance with its mission, Kim Jong Un said in a speech Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. The country's armed forces are fully prepared to deal with any military confrontation with the United States, he added, speaking to veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War during Victory Day celebrations marking the armistice. In June, the U.S. and South Korea threatened a swift response with more sanctions and even a review of the U.S. military posture in the event of another nuclear test by North Korea. Kim Jong Un also criticized South Korea's new conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May and promised to take a tougher line on his northern neighbor.
Talking about military action against our nation, which has absolute weapons they fear the most, is absurd and a very dangerous self-destructive action, Kim Jong Un said of Mr. Yoon's government, which he called a group of gangsters. Such a dangerous attempt would be immediately punished by our powerful force and Yoon Suk Yeol's government and his army would be annihilated, he threatened. Kim's rhetoric exaggerates external threats to justify his regime focused on military spending in a struggling economy, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.