Kim Jong-Un orders military chiefs to plan nuclear strike against South Korea
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Kim Jong-Un ordered his military chiefs to draw up plans for nuclear strikes on South Korea as he said war could break out at “any time”.
Wrapping up five-days of meetings with party leaders, the North Korean dictator accused the US of driving the region to the “brink of nuclear war”.
Kim, whose speech was cheered, according to state news media, pledged to boost Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal and build three new spy satellites.
He blamed soaring tensions between the two neighbours on America’s deployment of a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea and its increased joint military exercises with the US.
Washington stepped up its military presence following North Korean missile testing in December that included the launch of its first spy satellite and most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
During a lengthy speech, military leaders were told to plan to “pacify the entire territory of South Korea”, with nuclear bombs if necessary.
Hardline rhetoric a ‘negotiating tactic’ ahead of elections
Analysts said Kim’s hardline rhetoric was partly a negotiating tactic ahead of forthcoming elections in the US and South Korea.
President Joe Biden’s administration says it is open to talks, but it imposed further sanctions as North Korea pushed ahead with missile tests banned by UN sanctions.
“Pyongyang might be waiting out the US presidential election to see what its provocations can buy it with the next administration,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“The Kim regime has closed the political door on denuclearisation negotiations but could offer rhetorical restraint and a testing freeze in exchange for sanctions relief,” Mr Easley added. “Although North Korea has no intention of giving up nuclear weapons, it might try to extract payment for acting like a so-called responsible nuclear power.”
Kim also said that the issue of unification with the South could no longer be discussed, as South Korea was a US “puppet state”.
North and South have hostile relationship of ‘two belligerents at war’
“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,” he insisted.
Since 2000, talks have aimed at creating a single nation with two separate regimes.
In Kim’s 2018 New Year’s address, he raised hopes of a pathway to peace by saying North Korea could participate in that year’s Winter Olympics in the South Korean county of Pyeongchang.
Moon Jae-In, South Korea’s then president, said reunification could be achieved by 2045.
On Sunday, South Korea’s military warned Kim his nation would be “doomed” if it used a nuclear weapon against Seoul, while political leaders called for the resumption of peace talks.
South Korea holds 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.
