Why is South Korea teasing the tiger? Reunification is abandoned even though it was the best tool for negotiating peace on the peninsula. Is the war industry at work here?
Kim Jong Un threatens to use nuclear weapons
against U.S., South Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned the United States and South Korea that any attack would be met with a nuclear response, state media reported Tuesday, as tensions remain high on the Peninsula and concerns swirl about a possible provocation ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
Kim made the threat in a speech during his visit to Kim Jong Un University of National Defense on Monday, according to Korean Central News Agency.
"If the enemy attempts to use force against our state, the armed forces of the Republic will use all their offensive power without hesitation," he said. "This does not preclude the use of nuclear weapons."
Kim added that the North's "steps toward becoming a military superpower and a nuclear power will be accelerated."
North Korea passed a law declaring itself a nuclear state in 2022 and claimed the right to conduct a preemptive nuclear strike if threatened.
The warning came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said last week that Kim's regime would be eliminated if it tried a nuclear attack against the South.
"If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face the resolute and overwhelming response of our military and the ROK-U.S. alliance," Yoon said during an Armed Forces Day address. "That day will be the end of the North Korean regime."
A parade celebrating the anniversary of the South's military featured the unveiling of a new "bunker buster" ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, capable of carrying a massive 8-ton warhead.
Kim responded by calling Yoon an "abnormal man" in remarks carried by state media. He again referred to the South Korean president in his speech Monday, saying he was showing "blind faith" in the power of the United States.
"A wise politician should not engage in reckless remarks about the safety of the country and the people, but should put more effort into managing the situation to prevent military conflicts rather than confrontation with a nuclear state," Kim said.
Relations between the neighbors have been on the decline over the past few years amid a steady stream of weapons tests and bellicose rhetoric from the North and a hardline stance from Seoul.
Earlier this year, Kim declared the South the "principal enemy" and publicly called for a constitutional change rejecting the long-held official goal of reunification.
North Korea had previously announced that it would convene a key parliamentary meeting on Monday to revise its constitution, but no reports have appeared in state media as of Tuesday.
Pyongyang also raised the specter of its nuclear threat recently by showing off an enrichment facility for weapons-grade uranium last month. Analysts have said that the North is looking to send a message to the United States ahead of next month's presidential election and may conduct a provocation such as an ICBM or nuclear test.
North Korea to cut off all roads and railways
to South Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- North Korea's military said Wednesday that it is permanently sealing off its border with South Korea, cutting off all rail and road connections and bolstering defensive fortifications, state-run media reported.
"A project will be launched first on October 9 to completely cut off roads and railways connected to the ROK and fortify the relevant areas of our side with strong defense structures," a report from the Korean People's Army, carried in the official Korean Central News Agency, said.
"For our army to permanently shut off and block the southern border with the ROK, the primary hostile state and invariable principal enemy, in the current situation is a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war and defending the security of the DPRK," it said, using the official acronyms for both South and North Korea.
North Korea said the move was in response to the "acute military situation" on the Korean Peninsula, citing the South's military exercises and visits by U.S. "strategic nuclear assets" for the decision.
The North's military added that it sent a telephone message to U.S. forces in South Korea at 9:45 a.m. local time to inform them of the project.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff responded to the announcement, calling it "worthless."
How rude! A more elegant response might have been helpful here.
The blockade is "nothing more than a last resort measure stemming from the insecurity of the failed Kim Jong Un regime, and will lead to even more severe isolation in the future," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
"Our military will never tolerate any actions by North Korea that attempt to unilaterally change the status quo, and we clearly warn that North Korea will be responsible for all situations that arise as a result," it added.
Tensions around the DMZ have risen in recent months, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-carrying balloons across the border and Seoul responding with loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.
Pyongyang has also maintained a steady stream of weapons tests and hostile rhetoric toward its neighbor. Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of a nuclear response to any attacks by the United States and South Korea.
In February, Kim declared the South the "invariable principal enemy" and publicly called for a constitutional change rejecting the long-held official goal of reunification. North Korea's parliament held a session this week to revise its constitution, KCNA reported Wednesday, but did not specify whether any changes were made to officially name South Korea a hostile state.
Does South Korea have nuclear weapons?
South Korea abandoned its nuclear weapons program in the 1970s, as Washington pushed nonproliferation, and chose to rely on the United States to defend it against the North. Tens of thousands of American troops have been garrisoned for decades in the South, which for many years also hosted U.S. nuclear weapons.
Aug 19, 2024
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