North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons if South Korea or its allies attempt to encroach on North Korea’s sovereignty, state media reported Friday, Oct. 4. Kim’s comments followed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s warning that any nuclear aggression from the North would lead to the collapse of Kim’s regime due to a “resolute and overwhelming” response from the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
During South Korea’s Armed Forces Day earlier this week, Yoon showcased the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, capable of targeting the North, and emphasized the strength of the military alliance with the U.S.
In response, Kim mocked Yoon, calling him “abnormal,” and dismissed South Korea’s conventional weapons as no match for North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. He reiterated that the North would use “all offensive forces, including nuclear weapons,” if provoked.
The exchange of threats comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea continuing its missile tests and South Korea conducting joint military exercises with the U.S. North Korea’s provocative actions include the disclosure of a nuclear facility and ongoing efforts to bolster its military capabilities.
Observers expect that North Korea’s parliament will soon formally declare a two-state system on the Korean Peninsula, rejecting reconciliation with the South and codifying new national borders.
Animosities between the two Koreas have reached their worst point in years, with communication channels frozen since 2019 when U.S.-North Korea diplomacy over the North’s nuclear program collapsed.
North Korea, which has conducted six underground nuclear tests, claims it has sufficient fissile material to build dozens of nuclear weapons.
Since adopting an escalatory nuclear doctrine in 2022, Kim has repeatedly threatened preemptive nuclear strikes. Experts believe it is unlikely he would use them first, as the North’s military remains outmatched by U.S. and South Korean forces.
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