North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons against South Korea if the neighboring country encroached upon the North’s sovereignty, according to state-run media reports.
Kim said on Wednesday the North Korean military “would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons,” if it was provoked by South Korean forces, per the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. “If such a situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible,” Kim added.
The statement came after South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol displayed Seoul’s most powerful ballistic missile and other conventional weapons during an Armed Forces Day parade on Tuesday. While unveiling the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, Yoon warned that if North Korea tried deploying its nuclear arsenal, it would face South Korea’s military might.
“If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face the resolute and overwhelming response of our military and the SK-US alliance,” Yoon said, referring to its military alliance with the U.S. “The North Korean regime must now break free from the delusion that nuclear weapons will protect them.”
In response, Kim called Yoon an “abnormal man” and a “puppet” for bragging about his country’s military arsenal when it is so close to a nation that possesses nuclear arms.
Kim’s sister and senior official in North Korea’s state propaganda ministry, Kim Yo Jong, also responded to South Korea’s showcase of the Hyunmoo-5 missile, which is capable of reaching North Korean underground bunkers deep in the earth. The weapon is reportedly nicknamed the “monster missile.” Despite its impressive capabilities, Kim’s sister said conventional missiles are no match for nuclear strikes.
Tensions between North and South Korea have risen recently after North Korea disclosed its secretive uranium-enrichment facility to state media last month. The country also continues conducting missile tests, some of which Kim personally oversaw in September. Furthermore, Kim is not keen on reuniting peacefully with South Korea.
On Monday, North Korea’s legislature is expected to reject reconciliation with South Korea by revoking a key agreement that would enshrine the potential reunification of both countries. In January, Kim called his southern neighbor the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and demanded the tearing down of a monument symbolizing peaceful reunification.