N. Korea ready to mobilise nuclear war deterrent

SEOUL • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent and for any military clash with the United States, state media reported yesterday, amid signs that the North could conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

Mr Kim made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, which left the two Koreas technically still at war.

Making his first appearance in public in nearly three weeks, Mr Kim delivered one of his strongest rhetorical attacks against South Korea since conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May and pledged to take a tough line towards Pyongyang.

The North Korean leader said that "US imperialists are pushing the South Korean authorities into a suicidal confrontation" with his nation, the official KCNA news agency reported.

"The South Korean regime and its military thugs are devising tactics to confront us militarily," Mr Kim said.

"Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful force, and the Yoon Suk-yeol regime and his army will be eliminated," he added.

Mr Kim has been stepping up his provocations this year while US attention has been diverted towards Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea in recent months tested hypersonic missiles and missiles that it says could carry tactical nuclear weapons, narrowing the time that Seoul would have to respond to a pending attack.

Mr Kim often drops out of the public eye in the summer for stays at his coastal mansion and on his mega yacht.

But any prolonged absence raises questions about the health of the 38-year-old, whose longest time without a public appearance as leader was six weeks in 2014.

REUTERS