As North Korea’s Kim Jong-un threatens Asia with nuclear force, analysts caution against calling his bluff

The North Korean leader hinted at preemptively using nuclear force against his Asian neighbours in a bellicose speech at a military parade earlier this week

Analysts said the ‘remarkable’ escalation in rhetoric was aimed at Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s hawkish president-elect – who dismissed it as ‘delusional’

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People in Seoul watch a news programme on North Korea’s military parade showing an image of Kim Jong-un. Photo: AP

Published: 10:39am, 28 Apr 2022Updated: 3:26pm, 28 Apr 2022

North Korea watchers have long had to decode Pyongyang’s missives to weed out the bluster from actual signs of policy change, given that its eccentric, dynastic leaders – now in their third generation with Kim Jong-un – have been known for their over-the-top threats.

Analysts parsing Kim’s speech at a nighttime parade this week say that – beyond the hyperbole – there are serious implications for Asia’s security, as the hermit state’s supreme leader signalled he would use the North’s nuclear force not just for defence, but to assert control.

While vowing to develop the country’s arsenal at the “fastest possible speed”, Kim in his speech on Monday threatened to use the North’s nuclear arsenal “against anyone who violates Pyongyang’s interests”.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatens nuclear strike while showing off newest ICBM missiles

He spoke of “rapidly-changing political and military situations and all the possible crises of the future” as North Korea’s most advanced weapons – including its largest intercontinental ballistic missile – were paraded before him.

Those weapons “can never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent”, Kim said – even if that is their “fundamental mission”.

Cha Du-hyeogn, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said the speech “sent a message” that Kim would consider using nuclear weapons “preemptively, depending on the situation, and more freely pose nuclear threats if necessary going forward”.

Kim proposing the offensive use of nuclear arms to prevent “the violation of national interests” was “remarkable”, said Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies, adding that the remarks were likely meant as a warning to South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.