The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to “eliminate” South Korea and said he was ready for any battle with the United States. in a speech to mark the 69th anniversary of the agreement that ended the Korean War.
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Kim, in her first public appearance in nearly three weeks, delivered one of his strongest rhetorical attacks on South Korea since conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May and vowed to take a hard line toward Pyongyang.
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The North Korean leader said that “the US imperialists are pushing the South Korean authorities into a suicidal confrontationwith his country, the state’s Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday.
Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful force, and Yoon Suk Yeol’s regime and his army will be eliminated.
“The South Korean regime and its military thugs are devising tactics to confront us militarily,” Kim said of a possible preemptive strike.
The comments marked the first time in North Korean state media that Kim had referred to Yoon by name.
Yoon’s office in a statement expressed “deep regret” over the comments, adding that South Korea was ready to respond to its neighbor’s provocations.
He also urged Pyongyang to return to nuclear disarmament talks that have been stalled for some four years.
Kim has been ratcheting up his provocations this year as US attention has shifted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, firing a record number of ballistic missiles and showing signs he could conduct his first nuclear test since 2017.
The fiery speech serves as a reminder to President Joe Biden of the pressing security issues Pyongyang poses.
The speech marked the signing on July 27 of the armistice agreement between the US-led United Nations forces, North Korea and China that brought a ceasefire to the 1950-1953 Korean War. Although it ended in a stalemate, North Korea celebrates the day as a “Victory in the Motherland.”
The US push to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, coupled with growing animosity toward China, has allowed Kim to strengthen his nuclear deterrent without fear of facing further sanctions at the UN Security Council.
There is almost no chance that Russia or China, which have veto power in the council, will support any move against North Korea.as they did in 2017 following a series of weapons tests that prompted former President Donald Trump to threaten “fire and fury.”
Kim often disappears from the public eye in the summer to stay in her seaside mansion and mega yacht.
But any prolonged absence raises questions about the health of the 38-year-old, whose longest time without a public appearance as a leader was six weeks in 2014.
His last appearance on state media came on July 9 when he appeared in a photo shoot with members of the ruling party.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With data from Bloomberg
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