He issued this order in a speech delivered during a meeting with Pyongyang’s top officials on Dec. 31. “If the enemy opts for military confrontation and provocation against the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea], our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without [a] moment’s hesitation,” said Kim reportedly said, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim’s remarks echoed the rhetoric of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) year-end meeting for 2023. During the five-day summit, he charged America with raising “various forms of military threat.” Previously, Kim – the WPK’s general secretary – disclosed plans to put three more satellites into space and continue to develop Pyongyang’s weapons arsenal this year. (Related: Kim Jong-Un dismisses top general, calls for WAR PREPARATIONS.)
The North Korean leader also denounced Seoul as “a hemiplegic malformation and colonial subordinate state” whose society is “tainted by Yankee culture” during the WPK meeting. He stressed that the KPA must employ all available means as well as nuclear weapons to “suppress the whole territory of South Korea” in the event of a confrontation.
Since 2022, North Korea has performed more than 100 missile tests – prompting the U.S., South Korea and Japan to expand their joint military drills. Aside from this show of force, Pyongyang has also tried to bolster its relationships with longtime allies China and Russia. The two nations blocked attempts by Washington and its partners in the United Nations Security Council to harden sanctions on North Korea over its weapons tests.
In turn, the U.S. and South Korea – formally the Republic of Korea (ROK) – extended their military and political cooperation in 2023. This came amid the North – formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – carrying out a record number of weapons tests and launching its first spy satellite into orbit.
North Korea no longer seeking reunification with its southern neighbor
During the Dec. 31 meeting with the KPA’s top brass, Kim said he would no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, citing the “uncontrollable crisis” that was sparked by Seoul and Washington. KCNA later reported that on Jan. 1, North Korean officials met to enforce an order by Kim to either break up or reorganize organizations handling relations with South Korea.
According to the state-owned news outlet, this move lines up with Pyongyang’s directive to alter the principle and direction of the North’s battle against the South. There was no quick explanation of how that might change inter-Korean relations, which have been stalled for a long time.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said during his New Year’s Day address that he would bolster his military’s preemptive strike, missile defense and retaliatory capabilities in reply to the North Korean nuclear threat. “The ROK is building genuine, lasting peace through strength, not a submissive peace that is dependent on the goodwill of the adversary,” Yoon stated.
A day before, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense warned that if the North tries to use nuclear weapons, forces from South Korea and the U.S. will punish Pyongyang forcefully and cause the demise of the Kim government.
According to experts, small-scale military conflicts between Pyongyang and Seoul could occur this year along the fortified border. They also predict that North Korea could test-launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the American mainland and other primary modern weapons.
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