North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said his country is “ready to deploy” its nuclear deterrent force in the event of a future military clash with the United States and South Korea, state media reported on 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 on Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central news agency. Pyongyang News Agency.
A quick response
The country’s armed forces are “fully prepared” to “face any military confrontation with the United States”, he added, speaking to veterans of the 1950-1953 Korean War at the occasion of the “Victory Day” celebrations marking the armistice.
In June, the United States and South Korea threatened a “rapid” response with more sanctions and even a revision of the American “military posture” in the event of a new nuclear test by North Korea.
A review of South Korea
This week, the U.S. military held live-fire exercises in South Korea with Apache attack helicopters for the first time since 2019.
Kim Jong-un also slammed South Korea’s new conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May and vowed to be tougher on his northern neighbor.
“Talking about military action against our nation, which has absolute weapons that they fear the most, is absurd and is a very dangerous self-destructive action,” Kim Jong-un said of Yoon’s government, which he referred to as a group of “gangsters”.