Kim Jong Un Says North Korea Could ‘Get Along’ With US
Kim Jong Un sends 3 strong signals to the US, expands North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, and hints at talks as nuclear tensions reshape global security.
Kim Jong Un has stated his intention to expand North Korea's nuclear weapons stockpile and operational range - in a specific message to Washington, he urged the US to respect his country's nuclear power.
Kim said the US and North Korea "can coexist," but only if the US agrees that North Korea's nuclear weapons will remain here.
His remarks, made at the five-yearly party congress in the capital, Pyongyang, are being seen as leaving the door open for talks with US President Donald Trump ahead of Trump's visit to China in April.
However, Kim dashed hopes of improving diplomatic relations with South Korea, calling it the North's "most hostile" entity.
If Washington "respects our current [nuclear] status as stated in the Constitution... and withdraws its hostile policy... then there is no reason why we cannot live well with the United States," Kim said at the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. Kim said that the future course of US-North Korea relations "depends entirely on the US's attitude."
"Whether it's peaceful coexistence or eternal confrontation, we are ready for both, and the choice is not ours."
Read Also
He also said of its neighbor, South Korea, that he would "forever exclude Seoul from the category of our people," adding that "unless South Korea can escape the geopolitical situation of having a border with us, the only way to remain safe is to abandon everything related to us and leave us alone."
Pyongyang's new statements indicate "its intention to build relations with the US on its own, without going through South Korea."
Kim also emphasized Pyongyang's nuclear program, saying: "We will focus on projects to increase the number of nuclear weapons and enhance nuclear operational methods."
Despite a long-standing international ban, North Korea continues to develop its nuclear capabilities and regularly tests banned intercontinental missiles.
The state-run KCNA said this week that under Kim's leadership, North Korea has "significantly improved" its "war deterrence" by "making nuclear forces its pivot."
However, government secrecy makes it difficult to assess the actual progress of its military.
Software Services
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent think tank, estimated last year that North Korea possesses approximately 50 assembled nuclear warheads and enough fissile material to build 40 more.
Kim had previously vowed to expand the country's nuclear program "unlimitedly" by November 2024.
Last year, US President Trump released a Global Security Roadmap that did not explicitly mention North Korea's denuclearization as a goal—despite it being a constant in every US president's national security strategy since 2003, when Pyongyang's nuclear program was revealed.
This omission led to speculation that talks between Trump and Kim, which last took place in 2019, could soon resume.
Trump's previous roadmap, released during his first term in 2017, mentioned North Korea 16 times—describing it as a threat and a rogue country that "could use nuclear weapons against the United States."
However, Kim has long insisted that denuclearization is not something Pyongyang is considering.
Read Also
In September, he told parliament, "The concept of 'denuclearization' has already lost its meaning. We have become a nuclear state." "I say that 'denuclearization' is the last, the last thing that should be expected of us."
"If the United States, freeing itself from its absurd pursuit of denuclearizing others and recognizing reality, truly wants to live peacefully with us, then there is no reason for us not to confront it."
Photos from the final stages of this year's party congress showed Kim's teenage daughter, Ju Ae, standing with her father in a matching black leather jacket at a military parade in Pyongyang.
Earlier this month, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers that Kim had chosen Ju Ae—who is likely 13 years old—as his successor.
The National Intelligence Service said it would closely monitor whether she attended the party congress.
Thank you for reading this content.
Thank you for reading this content.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
