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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed his country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul during his ruling Workers’ Party congress.
North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots”, Kim said.
“As long as South Korea cannot escape the geopolitical conditions of having a border with us, the only way to live safely is to give up everything related to us and leave us alone.”
Kim in recent years has sharpened his rhetoric toward Seoul and underscored his rejection of inter-Korean diplomacy. Experts say that most likely doesn’t presage military clashes, but is intended to advance a broader effort to assert a more forceful regional role backed by Kim’s nuclear arsenal and ties with Moscow and Beijing.
At the same time, Kim left the door open to dialogue with Washington if it acknowledges the country as a nuclear power.
If Washington “respects our country’s current (nuclear) status as stipulated in the Constitution… and withdraws its hostile policy… there is no reason why we cannot get along well with the United States,” Kim said, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Speculation is mounting that US President Donald Trump may seek a meeting with Kim when he travels to China later this year.
KCNA said that Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nuclear-armed military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, targeting South Korea.
The Workers’ Party congress, which began last Thursday in Pyongyang, is the country’s most important political event. KCNA said the North staged a military parade in the capital Wednesday as it wrapped up the congress, previously held in 2016 and 2021.
Kim watched the parade with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be around 13 years old and named Kim Ju Ae.
Kim has recently been prioritising Russia in his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology.
But it would make sense to keep his options open as the war in Ukraine could wind down, potentially making North Korea less valuable to Moscow, experts say.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with US President Donald Trump during his first term.
The prospects of US-North Korea relations “depends entirely on the U.S. attitude,” Kim said. “Whether it’s peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, we are ready for either, and the choice is not ours to make.”
Additional sources • AP, AFP