North Korean leader Kim threatens to use nuclear weapons if S. Korea or US attacked his country

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared that his country would use nuclear weapons “without hesitation” if attacked by South Korea or its ally, the United States, state media reported on Friday.

Tensions between North and South Korea are at their lowest point in decades. This week, Seoul held a military parade, showcasing its powerful bunker-busting “monster” missile. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Kim that the use of nuclear weapons would result in the end of his regime.

In a further display of hostility, Pyongyang has been launching balloons filled with trash into South Korea, with a fresh wave of them spotted over Seoul early Friday. The South Korean military also detected the balloon launches overnight.

Kim Jong Un, speaking through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), stated that if any foreign forces “encroach upon the sovereignty” of North Korea, the regime would “use without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons.”

Images released by state media showed Kim, wearing his signature leather jacket, addressing troops during a special operations training event. During the event, Kim denounced President Yoon’s “end of regime” remarks and criticized South Korea’s alliance with the United States.

Although Seoul does not possess nuclear weapons, it is protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella, with thousands of American troops stationed in South Korea since the Korean War, which ended in 1953 without a peace treaty.

Kim accused Seoul and Washington of “destroying regional security and peace,” referring to President Yoon as “an abnormal man.”

Military Parade

On Tuesday, South Korea showcased its military might with a parade that featured fighter jets flying over central Seoul and tanks rolling through the streets. The event included the first public display of the Hyunmoo-5, South Korea’s largest ballistic missile, designed to destroy underground bunkers. An American B-1B heavy bomber also performed a flyover, accompanied by F-15K fighter jets.

The military parade was part of South Korea’s Armed Forces Day celebrations, during which President Yoon warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea would be met with a “resolute and overwhelming response” from both South Korea and the U.S. He emphasized that such an event would mark the “end of the North Korean regime.”

North Korea is expected to annul a 1991 inter-Korean agreement at a parliamentary meeting next week, according to Seoul’s unification ministry. This move aligns with Kim’s efforts to officially label South Korea as an enemy state.

Earlier this year, Kim also pushed to remove unification-related clauses from the constitution and dismantle agencies aimed at improving relations with the South.