North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to use nuclear weapons against South Korea if provoked, as reported by state media on Friday, October 4. This warning follows a statement from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who cautioned that if the North were to use nuclear arms, it would “face the end of its regime.”
This aggressive rhetoric comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, particularly after North Korean state media recently released images of Kim visiting a uranium enrichment facility known for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials.
During a visit to a military base in western North Korea on Wednesday, Kim asserted that if South Korea disrespected the North’s sovereignty, Pyongyang “would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it has possessed, including nuclear weapons,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim added, “If such a situation arises, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible,” referring to South Korea by its official name.
Hostilities between North and South Korea have intensified this year, with North Korea reportedly ramping up its nuclear production efforts and strengthening ties with Russia, raising alarm in the West about the isolated nation’s trajectory.
Kim’s remarks seemed to be a direct response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who recently displayed Seoul’s most advanced ballistic missile and other military capabilities during an Armed Forces Day parade. Yoon introduced the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, which is said to be capable of penetrating North Korean underground bunkers.
“If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face the resolute and overwhelming response of our military and the SK-US alliance,” Yoon declared, emphasizing the importance of the United States as South Korea’s primary military ally. He further stated, “The North Korean regime must now break free from the delusion that nuclear weapons will protect them.”
Since the Korean War’s conclusion in 1953, North and South Korea have remained separated, with an armistice in place rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two nations technically still at war.
In a further sign of its nuclear ambitions, North Korean state media last month released photographs of Kim Jong Un touring a nuclear facility, providing a rare glimpse into the nation’s tightly controlled weapons program.