North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ruled out any possibility of reunification and reconciliation with South Korea, warning that Pyongyang will not hesitate to take “serious action” in case of a “military confrontation” by Washington and Seoul.
According to KCNA news agency, Kim said on Sunday that the inter-Korean ties had become “a relationship between two hostile countries and two belligerents at war,” as South Korea is seeking a “regime collapse” in the North.
“It’s time for us to acknowledge the reality and clarify our relationship with the South,” Kim said, adding that if Washington and Seoul were to attempt a military confrontation with Pyongyang, its “nuclear war deterrent will not hesitate to take serious action.”
“I believe that it is a mistake that we must no longer make to deal with the people who declare us as ‘the main enemy’ and seek only opportunities for ‘[our] regime collapse’ and ‘unification by absorption’ by collaborating for reconciliation and unification,” the North Korean leader underlined.
Since 1953, when the Korean War ended with an armistice, North and South Korea have been cut off from each other. Both governments have been seeking the goal of reunifying one day.
Last week, Kim ordered the military to “accelerate” war preparations, including its nuclear program, in response to what he called unprecedented confrontational moves by the United States.
The KCNA described at the time the political and military situation on the Korean peninsula as “grave,” saying it had reached an “extreme” point due to Washington’s provocations.
In a veiled reference to the United States, Kim had earlier warned that his country would launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons.
Earlier this month, a US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan. Washington also flew its long-range bombers in drills with Seoul and Tokyo, only to irk Pyongyang.
Pyongyang maintains that it will not tolerate persisting US-led war games in the area, underlining that it will continue responding to the joint military maneuvers by holding drills as well as developing and testing all sorts of weaponry, including missiles that could reach as far as the US mainland.
The North has been under harsh sanctions by the US and the United Nations Security Council for years over its deterrent nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Reconnaissance satellites
On Sunday, KCNA also said in a statement that Pyongyang plans to launch three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 as part of the country’s measures to beef up its military capabilities.
“Based on the experience of successfully launching and operating the first reconnaissance satellite in 2023, the task of launching three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 was declared to vigorously promote the development of space science and technology,” the statement read.
North Korea put its first reconnaissance satellite into orbit in November.
Kim hailed the feat, celebrating with workers at the launch site according to images put out by media.
According to analysts, the spacecraft can significantly improve North Korea’s military capabilities, including enabling it to more accurately target opponents’ forces.
