North Korea's Kim again threatens to use nuclear weapons on South

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons against South Korea, warning that its military would employ its full offensive capabilities if its enemies attempt to use armed force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delovers a speech the previous day during his visit to Kim Jong Un University of National Defense to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons against South Korea, warning that its military would employ its full offensive capabilities if its enemies attempt to use armed force.

"The destruction of the strategic balance on the Korean Peninsula means war," Kim declared during a visit to the Kim Jong Un University of National Defense on Monday, marking the institution's 60th anniversary, according to the state media Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday.

"If the enemies seek to use force against our country, the republic’s armed forces will use all offensive power without hesitation," Kim stated, adding, "This does not exclude the use of nuclear weapons."

Kim also argued that the strengthening of the Korea-U.S. alliance to include extended deterrence has transformed it into a "nuclear alliance," and as a result, he insisted that North Korea’s nuclear posture must be elevated to "unprecedented levels."

Kim went on to claim that the best way for Seoul to ensure its own safety is to ensure that Pyongyang does not need to use its military power.

Professor Im Eul-chul of Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies remarked that North Korea appears "highly sensitive" to the increasing military cooperation between South Korea and the United States, particularly regarding nuclear strategy.

"North Korea is using this as a pretext to continually enhance its nuclear posture while signaling its determination not to lose in the ongoing inter-Korean arms race," Prof. Im said.

Kim also used the opportunity to criticize South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Oct. 1 Armed Forces Day address, mocking Yoon’s reasoning as "abnormal." He dismissed the recent establishment of South Korea’s Strategic Command, which was created to handle North Korea’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats, as "a facade without any substantial strategic weapons."

"Even the most skilled military commander in history would not be able to bridge the gap between nuclear and conventional forces," Kim said, while once again describing Yoon as "a somewhat unbalanced person."

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, pointed out that Kim’s remarks emphasize the "asymmetry" between a nuclear-armed state and a non-nuclear one and between nuclear and conventional forces.

"Kim is shifting the responsibility for rising tensions onto South Korea while maintaining a strategy of proportionate responses based on Seoul’s actions," Hong said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Kim Jong Un University of National Defense on Monday to mark the 60th anniversary of its founding in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Kim also reaffirmed his stance on the "hostile relationship" between the two Koreas, which he declared last year.

"We honestly have no intention of attacking South Korea at all," Kim said, but added, "Even thinking about it is repugnant, and I do not want to stand face to face with those people.

"In the past, we talked about 'liberating the South' or 'unification by force,' but we no longer care about those things at all … especially after declaring two separate states," Kim said. "The problem is they continue to provoke us at every turn."

Prof. Im noted that these comments confirm that the Yoon administration’s focus on freedom and unification, along with the growing strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, is making North Korea increasingly sensitive to the South.

"It appears that Kim's greatest dilemma is that he can no longer afford to maintain a strategy of ignoring South Korea," Im said.

Kim’s visit to the Kim Jong Un University of National Defense coincided with the opening of a session of North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), where discussions are expected to focus on a constitutional amendment redefining inter-Korean relations as those between two hostile states. However, North Korean state media did not report on the assembly session the following day, instead focusing on Kim’s threats toward South Korea.

Experts speculate that the session may be ongoing, as North Korea typically reports on such events only after all meetings have concluded.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]