North Korea’s Kim Jong Un orders annihilation of US, South Korea amid confrontation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to annihilate the US and South Korea amid a confrontation. Kim has vowed to boost national defences to “thoroughly annihilate” North Korea's two biggest rival countries.

As per the media reports, Kim is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the US presidential election in November. Last week, Kim said he would launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials, and develop attack drones in 2024.

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In a meeting on Sunday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen “the treasured sword” to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country’s nuclear weapons program. He cited “the US and other hostile forces’ military confrontation moves,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

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Kim stressed that “our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without moment’s hesitation” if they opt for military confrontation and provocations against North Korea, KCNA said.

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AP news agency, citing experts mentioned that small-scale military clashes between North and South Korea could happen this year along their heavily armed border. They say North Korea is also expected to test-launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland US and other major new weapons.

In 2018-19, Kim met former US President Donald Trump in three rounds of talks on North Korea’s expanding nuclear arsenal. The diplomacy fell apart after the US rejected Kim's limited offer to dismantle his main nuclear complex in exchange for extensive reductions in US-led sanctions.

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Estimates of the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal vary, ranging from about 20-30 bombs to more than 100. Many foreign experts say North Korea still has some technological hurdles to overcome to produce functioning nuclear-armed ICBMs, though its shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles can reach South Korea and Japan.