Speaking at a Korean War anniversary event, Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, said that the country is ready to mobilize its nuclear forces and that they are ready for any military confrontation with the United States, according to BBC.
– We are ready to respond to any crisis. Our nuclear forces are ready to mobilize their “absolute power,” the dictator said.
Furthermore, he said about the conflict with South Korea.
– That they talk about military attacks against our nation, which has deadly weapons, is a terrible and suicidal act. Such actions will be immediately punished. Yoon Suk Yeol’s government and his military will be wiped out.
Associate Professor Henrik Hiim, who is attached to the Department of Defense Studies at the Norwegian Defense University, tells Dagbladet that he believes that the statement comes as a result of the situation becoming more tense than before for North Korea.
North Korea with nuclear threat
– Within the last six months, North Korea has had an increased test cycle where they have had 31 missile tests. At the same time, South Korea has a new president in the country, Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been more confrontational towards North Korea than the previous president, Moon Jae-in. This is one of the things that has contributed to the situation being more tense now, says Hiim to Dagbladet.
He adds that this is happening at the same time as there has been international concern that North Korea may be preparing a seventh nuclear test.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE: Researcher Henrik Hiim believes that there is not as great a danger of a nuclear attack from North Korea now as it was in 2017. He still believes that one should not underestimate the country’s ability to possibly use nuclear weapons. Photo: The Norwegian Defense Academy
sea view
– Willing to use them
The US warned last month that Pyongyang could carry out such a test at any time.
North Korea’s last nuclear test was in 2017. According to the BBC, tensions have risen on the Korean peninsula since then.
However, Hiim believes that the situation was more tense in 2017 than it is today.
Blaming “foreign things”.
– The rhetoric is an attempt to send a deterrent signal that they have nuclear weapons and that they are willing to use them. I don’t think the threat of nuclear war with North Korea is as high now as it was in 2017, when Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un threatened each other with nuclear weapons, he says.
He also believes that this is rhetoric that has previously been seen from the North Korean leader.
– This is rhetoric that has been seen before from North Korea. Kim Jong-un usually makes such threats when there is a tense situation. They are also not unexpected that such a statement comes during the anniversary event for the Korean War, says the researcher.
sea view
–
Nevertheless, he is clear that the capabilities of North Korea should not be underestimated.
– I do not see the rhetoric of threats as a serious threat, but one should not underestimate the ability of North Korea to use nuclear weapons in the extreme. There is no doubt that the country has nuclear weapons, but it is still not certain whether they have weapons that can reach the United States.
– On the brink of disaster
“Gangsters”
In his speech, Kim Jong-un also said that nuclear threats from the United States require North Korea to achieve the “important historical task” of strengthening its self-defense.
The dictator also chose to call South Korea’s leader Yoon Suk Yeol a “confrontational maniac” and claimed that his conservative government was led by “gangsters”.
Since taking office in May, the Yoon government has fought to strengthen Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and strengthen its capacity to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats, including pre-emptive strike capability.
–
