Kim Jong Un threatens nuclear use any time as US carrier arrives in S. Korea

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is ready to use nuclear weapons “any time and anywhere”, delivering a new threat as

a US aircraft carrier group arrived in South Korea.

Mr Kim made the comments while visiting a facility producing nuclear bombs, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday. State media released images of Mr Kim standing with officials among his arsenal of warheads.

Mr Kim reiterated his call to

exponentially increase North Korea’s nuclear arsenal

, which “is aimed to defend the eternal security of the state and the regional peace and stability from A to Z”.

The visit to the facility came as North Korea rolled out new weapons to deliver nuclear strikes in recent weeks and pledged an unprecedented response to joint military drills between the US and South Korea.

During Mr Kim’s visit, North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads, and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand its arsenal.

KCNA released photos of the warheads, dubbed Hwasan-31, as Mr Kim toured the Nuclear Weapons Institute in Pyongyang, where he inspected new tactical nuclear weapons and technology for mounting warheads on ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear counter-attack operation plans. 

Experts say the images could indicate progress in miniaturising warheads that are powerful yet small enough to mount on intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the US. 

Mr Kim Dong-yup, a former South Korean naval officer who teaches at Kyungnam University, said the warheads were most likely designed for use with at least eight different delivery platforms, including missiles and submarines. 

“Those are not limited to tactical missiles but appear to be a miniaturised, lightweight and standardised warhead that can be mounted on various vehicles,” he said. 

“Now that the delivery vehicles are nearly ready, they would churn out warheads to secure second-strike capabilities – perhaps hundreds, not dozens – while running centrifuges even harder to get weapons-grade nuclear material.”

North Korea is estimated to have 80 to 90 warheads, the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Defence Analyses said in a paper released in January. It added that Mr Kim was looking to have between 100 and 300 over the long term.

Mr Kim was also briefed on an information technology-based integrated nuclear weapon management system called Haekbangashoe, which means “nuclear trigger”, whose accuracy, reliability and security were verified during recent drills simulating a nuclear counter-attack, KCNA said.

The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group arrived in Busan on Tuesday as part of efforts to strengthen the combined military posture of the allies, South Korea’s Defence Ministry has said.

North Korea raised tensions to new levels the last time a US Navy carrier group was in South Korea about six months ago, including firing its first missile over Japan in five years.

That visit by the USS Ronald Reagan carrier group included anti-missile drills that also involved South Korea and Japan, which raised Pyongyang’s ire.

Although there have been no announcements of joint drills among the three for this visit by the USS Nimitz, the carrier group conducted exercises with South Korea’s navy on Monday as part of field training known as Warrior Shield.

The US and South Korea in January announced plans to step up the scale of their military exercises. Japan, which North Korea regards as a mortal enemy, has joined some of the drills in recent months.

The drills were scaled back or halted under former US president Donald Trump to facilitate his talks with Mr Kim. North Korea’s nuclear weapons arsenal only grew larger and more potent as the talks sputtered.

North Korea has been ramping up military tests, firing short-range ballistic missiles on Monday and conducting a nuclear counter-attack simulation last week against the United States and South Korea.

Among the new weapons rolled out by Mr Kim’s regime is an underwater drone it says can deliver a nuclear strike capable of causing a “radioactive tsunami”. South Korea’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that it doubted the North’s claim. 

North Korea, which has fired 15 ballistic missiles since Feb 18, has for years called joint drills in the region a prelude to an invasion and nuclear war. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS