North Korea’s Kim Jong Un threatens nuclear action against South Korea if provoked: ‘Would use without….’

North Korea's Kim Jong Un on Wednesday said his military would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons, if South Korea attempts to use armed forces encroaching upon the sovereignty of North Korea.

AP
Updated4 Oct 2024, 08:47 AM IST
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea if South Korea attempts to use armed forces.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea if South Korea attempts to use armed forces.(AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons and destroy South Korea permanently if provoked, state media reported on Friday, after the South's leader warned that Kim's regime would collapse if he attempts to use nuclear arms.

The exchange of such rhetoric between the rival Koreas is nothing new, but the latest comments come during heightened animosities over the North's recent disclosure of a nuclear facility and the continuation of missile tests. Next week, observers say North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament is expected to constitutionally declare a hostile "two-state" system on the Korean Peninsula to formally reject reconciliation with South Korea and codify new national borders.

Also Read | North Korea Sends Top Envoy to Russia as It Girds for Friction With Seoul

During a visit to a special operation forces unit on Wednesday, Kim said his military "would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons", if South Korea attempts to use armed forces encroaching upon the sovereignty of North Korea, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

"If such a situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible," Kim said, using South Korea's official name.

Also Read | North Korea fires ballistic missiles amid nuclear readiness threats

Kim's statement was a response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech at his country's Armed Forces Day on Tuesday. Unveiling South Korea's most powerful ballistic missile and other weapons that could target North Korea, Yoon said the day that North Korea tries to use nuclear weapons would be the end of the Kim government because Kim would face "the resolute and overwhelming response" of the South Korean-US alliance.

Kim responded that Yoon's address fully betrayed his "bellicose temerity" and showed "the security uneasiness and irritating psychology of the puppet forces".

Also Read | North Korean spies are infiltrating US companies through IT jobs

In a derisive comment, Kim called Yoon "an abnormal man", saying that "the puppet Yoon bragged about an overwhelming counteraction of military muscle at the doorstep of a state that possesses nuclear weapons".

Since adopting an escalatory nuclear doctrine in 2022, Kim has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively. But many foreign experts say it is still unlikely that he uses nukes first because his military is outmatched by the US and its allied forces. In July, South Korea and the US signed a defence guideline on integrating South Korea's conventional capabilities with the US nuclear forces to better deal with North Korea's advancing nuclear programme. South Korea has no nuclear weapons.

Animosities between the Koreas are at the worst point in years with Kim's provocative run of missile tests and the South Korean-US military exercises intensifying in a cycle of tit-for-tat. All communication channels and exchange programmes between the rivals remain stalled since 2019, when a broader US-North Korea diplomacy on ending the North's nuclear programme collapsed.

In January, Kim called for rewriting North Korea's constitution to eliminate the idea of a peaceful unification between the war-divided countries and to cement the South as an "invariable principal enemy".

He also reiterated that his country does not recognise the Northern Limit Line, a western sea boundary that was drawn by the US-led UN Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. He called for the new constitution to include a clear definition of the North's territories. North Korea has traditionally insisted upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters currently controlled by South Korea.

Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:4 Oct 2024, 08:47 AM IST
Business NewsNewsNorth Korea’s Kim Jong Un threatens nuclear action against South Korea if provoked: ‘Would use without….’

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Tata Steel share price

    152.30
    03:58 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    5.35 (3.64%)

    Bharat Electronics share price

    286.15
    03:59 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    2.1 (0.74%)

    Bank Of Baroda share price

    257.80
    03:59 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    5.05 (2%)

    State Bank Of India share price

    849.20
    03:59 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    19.35 (2.33%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals Corporation share price

    1,320.80
    03:53 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    44.1 (3.45%)

    National Aluminium Company share price

    235.00
    03:56 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    4.2 (1.82%)

    Gillette India share price

    10,519.05
    03:29 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    116.1 (1.12%)

    Suven Pharmaceuticals share price

    1,332.50
    03:29 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    12.85 (0.97%)
    More from 52 Week High

    Rainbow Childrens Medicare share price

    1,548.10
    03:58 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    -82.6 (-5.07%)

    Torrent Power share price

    1,708.00
    03:29 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    -88.75 (-4.94%)

    PB Fintech share price

    1,640.20
    03:57 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    -72.55 (-4.24%)

    Tube Investments Of India share price

    4,180.70
    03:58 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    -179.4 (-4.11%)
    More from Top Losers

    HFCL share price

    127.85
    03:47 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    8.5 (7.12%)

    Jindal Saw share price

    326.10
    03:29 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    16.15 (5.21%)

    Adani Energy Solutions share price

    1,014.65
    03:54 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    49.25 (5.1%)

    Oil India share price

    495.45
    03:54 PM | 5 NOV 2024
    23 (4.87%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      80,255.00-160.00
      Chennai
      80,261.00-160.00
      Delhi
      80,413.00-160.00
      Kolkata
      80,265.00-160.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.92/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.80/L-0.23
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.77/L0.00

      Popular in News

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts