On Monday, state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un instructed the country's military commanders to utilize the most potent weapons to annihilate the United States and South Korea if they choose military confrontation.
Kim stated that the threat of an armed conflict on the Korean peninsula is quickly becoming a reality as a result of hostile maneuvering by foes such as the United States, prompting the country to "sharpen the treasured sword" to protect itself.
"If the enemy opts for military confrontation... our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without a moment's hesitation," the KCNA news agency reported Kim saying.
According to the state news agency, Kim made the remarks while hosting senior military commanders at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party (WPK) on Sunday to congratulate them on their achievements in 2023.
Kim has referred to the 2023 tests of North Korea's largest ballistic missiles and the launch of the country's first military reconnaissance satellite as "significant advances in the modernization of the military."
The aforementioned appeal to enhance the nation's military preparedness coincides with the commitment made during the WPK summit, which concluded on Saturday, to increase its nuclear arsenal, manufacture military drones, and launch three new surveillance satellites by 2024.
With the deployment of more strategic military weapons, such as a nuclear missile submarine, aircraft carriers, and big bombers, the United States has ramped up its drills with South Korea in the last year, prompting Kim to escalate his rhetoric.
Furthermore, this occurs prior to crucial elections in both South Korea and the United States in the coming year, circumstances that Pyongyang likely perceives as a chance to bolster its leverage through an intensified military pressure campaign.
On Monday, Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, made a commitment to expedite the development of a missile defense system and a system that utilizes extended deterrence from the United States in order to "fundamentally dissuade any North Korean nuclear and missile threat."
Extended deterrence involves the United States utilizing military resources, including nuclear weapons, to deter and respond to threats if an ally is attacked.
Kim reportedly attended a late-night "grand art performance" commemorating the new year at the May Day stadium in Pyongyang, where senior party members, soldiers, and members of the diplomatic corps were in attendance, and hosted a reception for senior members of the governing party, according to separate KCNA reports.
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