North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, stressed that his country is not kidding about the potential use of nuclear weapons as a form of defense to protect the country's sovereignty.
North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un made the remarks in his "victory day" speech on Thursday, July 28 local time.
'Victory Day' in North Korea is a ceremony to commemorate the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean war.
"Our armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any crisis, and our country's nuclear war deterrence is also fully prepared to mobilize its absolute power faithfully, accurately and promptly to its mission," he said, according to state media. 28 July 2022
In his speech, Kim said Washington continued its "dangerous illegal acts of hostility" with South Korea against his country some 70 years after the war, and sought to justify its behavior by "condemning" it.
North Korea has long accused the United States of double standards of military activity and carrying out what it believes is a "hostile policy" towards Pyongyang.
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Denuclearization talks broke down in 2019 because of sanctions waivers.
"The duplex action of the United States, misleading all routine actions of our armed forces as a 'provocation' and a 'threat' while holding large-scale joint military exercises that seriously threaten our security, is literally robbery," Kim Jong-un said.
"It pushed the bilateral relationship to the point where it was difficult to turn back, into a state of conflict," he said.
Kim also condemned South Korea's new government under President Yoon Suk-yeol. He emphasized that any attempt by the enemy who wanted to paralyze his country would receive a harsh response and "annihilation".
"I once again made it clear that North Korea is fully prepared for any military confrontation with the United States," Kim said.
Kim Jong-un's speech came after officials in South Korea and the US said North Korea had completed preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017.
North Korea is likely to face tougher sanctions, including measures aimed at restricting the country's cyber access if it resumes nuclear tests, South Korea's foreign minister said on Wednesday, July 27.
Meanwhile, professor at Ewha University in Seoul, Leif-Eric Easley, viewed Kim Jong-un's speech in celebration of Victory Day as an attempt to "raise national pride" in the face of South Korea's successful post-truce development.
"Kim's rhetoric inflates external threats to justify his militarily focused and economically struggling regime," he said in an email. "North Korea's nuclear and missile programs violate international law, but Kim tries to portray his destabilizing weapons buildup as a righteous attempt at self-defense," he said.
North Korea has conducted most of its nuclear weapons tests by 2022.
In January, North Korea was alleged to have carried out a hypersonic missile test and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which is considered capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons.***