19:09 China time Thursday, July 28, 2022
Kim Jong-un says North Korea is "completely prepared" for military conflict with the United States
- GalloThis July 27, 2022 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking during a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War in Pyongyang, North Korea. SEOUL-
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned late Wednesday that North Korea was "fully prepared" for any military conflict with the United States, state media reported on Thursday.
- The warning is the latest threat from Pyongyang, amid speculation North Korea will soon conduct a seventh nuclear test.
- At a commemoration marking the anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Kim Jong-un also warned that any "dangerous attempt" by the South Korean government would be annihilated, according to KCNA.
South Korea's conservative President Yoon Suk-wyeh, who took office in May, has repeatedly said that South Korea may take pre-emptive strikes, including against senior North Korean leaders, if it sees signs of an imminent attack.
Kim Jong-un said such an action would be "immediately punished by force", adding that "the Yoon Seok-wook regime and its army will be completely wiped out."
"If the South Korean regime and its military bandits want to confront us militarily and think that they can preemptively suppress or destroy part of our military power based on specific military means or methods, they are wrong," Kim Jong-un said. In his speech, Kim Jong-un repeatedly boasted that his country has nuclear weapons and said he was prepared to use them if necessary. He said North Korea was "well prepared" for any military confrontation with the United States.
North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year. Pyongyang has apparently completed preparations for another nuclear test, U.S. and South Korean officials said.
In response, South Korea has expanded its decades-long military alliance with the United States. The two countries also displayed military might in a more direct way to deter nuclear-armed North Korea.
Next month, the United States and South Korea will resume large-scale field military exercises that have been suspended for many years, and the two countries are also seeking to negotiate with North Korea.
Although the two allies say the drills are defensive, North Korea sees the drills as preparations for an invasion and often uses them as an opportunity to make threats or make other provocations.
In his speech on Wednesday, Kim Jong-un slammed the United States for "double standards" and "thug behavior." While he described North Korea's military operations as routine, he said the U.S.-South Korea military exercises "seriously threaten our national security."
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday that North Korea's nuclear and missile development was the main cause of tension on the Korean peninsula.
Park also warned North Korea against conducting further nuclear tests, saying the move could lead to more international sanctions on North Korea.
"North Korea is currently in a situation that requires careful thought," he said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that North Korea's nuclear test "will have a huge cost," without specifying what the cost would be.
The UN Security Council may face more difficulties in imposing additional sanctions on North Korea. Russia and China, both members of the Security Council with veto power, have in recent months called for sanctions on North Korea to be eased rather than expanded.
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