North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula, vowing to use nuclear weapons “without hesitation” if the country’s sovereignty is threatened by South Korea and the United States, state media reported Friday.
Kim’s remarks, made during an inspection of a special forces military training base near Pyongyang, come in response to recent statements by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who warned of “the end of the North Korean regime” if it were to use nuclear weapons.
“If the enemy attempts to use armed forces encroaching upon the sovereignty of the DPRK, the DPRK would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it has possessed, including nuclear weapons,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The exchange of threats follows a South Korean military parade where President Yoon pledged an “overwhelming response” from the U.S.-South Korea alliance if North Korea launched a nuclear attack.
Kim dismissed Yoon as a “puppet” and “an abnormal man,” according to KCNA, further straining already tense relations between the two Koreas.
The heightened rhetoric comes amid ongoing concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program. Recently, Pyongyang released images of a uranium enrichment facility for the first time, with Kim calling for increased production to boost the country’s nuclear arsenal.
North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, faces numerous UN sanctions for its weapons programs. Despite these sanctions, the country has continued to develop its nuclear and missile capabilities, partly due to support from allies Russia and China.
South Korea, which hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops, relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for deterrence against North Korean threats.
