North Korea’s Kim vows to sharpen ‘treasured sword’ against US and South, 2024 will be ‘new heyday’ for war preparations

Kim Jong-un has ordered his military to ‘thoroughly annihilate’ the US and South Korea if provoked
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says he will strengthen his military’s pre-emptive strike in his New Year’s Day address

North Korea

Associated Press

Published: 2:32pm, 1 Jan 2024

Why you can trust SCMP

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un ordered his military to “thoroughly annihilate” the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reported on Monday after he vowed to boost national defence to cope with what he called an unprecedented US-led confrontation.

Kim said 2024 will be “a new heyday” of war preparations and that the Korean Peninsula is “inching closer to the brink of armed conflict”, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

He is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the US presidential election in November. Many experts say he likely believes his expanded nuclear arsenal would allow him to wrest US concessions if former President Donald Trump is reelected.

In a five-day major ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase his leverage in future diplomacy with the US.

South Korea on alert for clashes, nuclear test as Kim threatens ‘major ripple’

In a meeting on Sunday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen “the treasured sword” to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country’s nuclear weapons programme. He cited “the US and other hostile forces’ military confrontation moves,” according to KCNA.

Kim stressed that “our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilising all the toughest means and potentialities without moment’s hesitation” if they opt for military confrontation and provocations against North Korea, KCNA said.

In his New Year’s Day address on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he will strengthen his military’s pre-emptive strike, missile defence and retaliatory capabilities in response to the North Korean nuclear threat.

“The Republic of Korea is building genuine, lasting peace through strength, not a submissive peace that is dependent on the goodwill of the adversary,” Yoon said, using South Korea’s official name.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets with commanding army officers in Pyongyang on Sunday. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

At the party meeting, Kim called South Korea “a hemiplegic malformation and colonial subordinate state” whose society is “tainted by Yankee culture.” He said his military must use all available means including nuclear weapons to “suppress the whole territory of South Korea” in the event of a conflict.

South Korea’s defence ministry warned in response that if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, South Korean and US forces will punish it overwhelmingly, resulting in the end of the Kim government.

Experts say small-scale military clashes between North and South Korea could happen this year along their heavily armed border. They say North Korea is also expected to test-launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland US and other major new weapons.

Why North Korea is upping the ante through missile tests ahead of US election

In 2018-19, Kim met Trump in three rounds of talks on North Korea’s expanding nuclear arsenal. The diplomacy fell apart after the US rejected Kim’s offer to dismantle his main nuclear complex, a limited step, in exchange for extensive reductions in US-led sanctions.

Since 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests, prompting the US and South Korea to expand their joint military drills. North Korea has also tried to strengthen its relationships with China and Russia, which blocked efforts by the US and its partners in the United Nations Security Council to toughen UN sanctions on North Korea over its weapons tests.

Meanwhile, Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged New Year messages on Monday, with the two leaders vowing to deepen bilateral ties as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, KCNA said.

02:12

Kim Jong-un vows to accelerate war preparations, while the South holds rare defence drills

In his message, the North Korean leader expressed willingness to further promote bilateral exchange and visits “in all fields, including politics, economy and culture,” while Xi said Beijing is willing to open “a new chapter” in the two countries’ friendship, KCNA added.

North Korea faces suspicions that it has supplied conventional arms for Russia’s war in Ukraine in return for sophisticated Russian technologies to enhance the North’s military programmes.

Estimates of the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal vary, ranging from about 20 to 30 bombs to more than 100. Many foreign experts say North Korea still has some technological hurdles to overcome to produce functioning nuclear-armed ICBMs, though its shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles can reach South Korea and Japan.

Additional reporting by Kyodo

Post