Kim Jong Un warns North Korea could ‘completely destroy’ South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nucleararmed country could completely destroy South Korea if its security were threatened reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul state media said Thursday However he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five yearsState media said that Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nucleararmed military including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons such as artillery and shortrange missiles targeting South KoreaHe said the accelerated development of his nuclear and missile program permanently cemented the countrys status as a nuclear weapons state and called for the United States to discard what he perceives as hostile policies toward the North as a precondition for resuming longstalled dialogueThe Workers Party congress which began last Thursday in Pyongyang comes as Kim carves out a more forceful regional presence leveraging his expanding military nuclear program and a growing alignment with Moscow that have deepened his standoffs with Washington and Seoul The official Korean Central News Agency said the North staged a military parade at the capital city on Wednesday as it wrapped up the congress which Kim previously held in 2016 and 2021Kims comments at the congress were widely anticipated as he has been issuing increasingly hardline views toward South Korea since 2024 when he discarded the Norths longstanding goal of a peaceful reunification between the wardivided Koreas and declared the South as a permanent enemy But analysts expected Kim to take a more measured approach toward Washington to preserve the possibility of future dialogue with the longterm aim of securing US sanctions relief and tacit recognition as a nuclear stateKim has recently been prioritising Russia in his foreign policy sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscows war in Ukraine possibly in exchange for aid and military technology But it would make sense to keep his options open as the war in Ukraine could wind down potentially making North Korea less valuable to Moscow experts sayIn a report wrapping up the congress Kim said his government was maintaining the toughest stance against Washington but added there was no reason we cannot get along with the Americans if they withdrew their supposedly hostile policy toward the North North Korea often uses the term to describe USled pressure and sanctions over Kims nuclear ambitions His comments aligned with North Koreas previous position calling for Washington to abandon its demands for the Norths denuclearisation as a precondition for resuming talksNorth Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seouls calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kims second summit with US President Donald Trump during his first term The prospects of USNorth Korea relations depends entirely on the US attitude Kim said Whether its peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation we are ready for either and the choice is not ours to makeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever