By Spy Uganda Correspondent
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the United States the “foremost principal enemy” of his country, threatening to continue advancing its nuclear capabilities, state media said Saturday.
Kim also said Washington’s policy against Pyongyang won’t change regardless of who is in the White House, adding that “key to establishing new relationship” between the two countries “lies in the U.S. withdrawal of its hostile policy towards” North Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim made the remarks reporting to the eighth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party currently underway in Pyongyang, the North’s first reference to the transition of power in Washington since Joe Biden’s election as U.S. president in November. They also came days before Biden’s inauguration slated for Jan. 20., which experts see as aimed at pressuring the incoming administration in Washington.
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In the report, Kim declared that the North will now “approach the U.S. on the principle of answering force with toughness.”
“We should put the focus of foreign political activities on containing and subduing the U.S., the fundamental obstacle to the development of our revolution and our foremost principal enemy,” KCNA said.
Kim has held three meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, but denuclearization talks have made little progress since their no-deal summit in Hanoi in 2019.
Biden earlier said that he would not meet the North Korean leader without preconditions, vowing to pursue “principled” diplomacy on Pyongyang. He has called Kim a “thug” and “dictator,” denouncing Trump for giving legitimacy to Kim through summits.
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Referring to the summits with Trump, Kim said the U.S. hostile policy has “become more violent” despite the North’s “good-will efforts” and “greatest patience” to reduce tensions in the region.
Kim rolled out a series of goals to boost the North’s nuclear arsenal, calling for an improvement in missiles’ strike capabilities targeting objects in the range of 15,000 kilometres, apparently intended to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S.
Kim rolled out a series of goals to boost the North’s nuclear arsenal, calling for an improvement in missiles’ strike capabilities targeting objects in the range of 15,000 kilometres, apparently intended to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S.
“It is necessary to … (make) nuclear weapons smaller, lighter and tactical and steadily push ahead with the production of a super large nuclear warhead,” the report said.
The North also boasted of a new nuclear-powered submarine, saying that it has completed the research design and it is in the stage of the final examination.
Other military projects ordered by Kim include the development of tactical nuclear weapons, ground or submarine-launched solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), hypersonic warhead and a military surveillance satellite.
“The geopolitical features of our state called for pushing ahead with the already-started building of the nuclear force without interruption for the welfare of the people, destiny of the revolution, existence and independent development of the state,” it said.
Still, the North Korean leader reaffirmed that Pyongyang would not use its nuclear arsenal unless “hostile forces” attempt to attack with their nuclear weapons.
Washington has yet to respond to the North’s announcement.
