Kim Jong Un Threatens Nuclear Response Amid Escalating Tensions with South Korea

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons against South Korea if his country is attacked, according to state media reports on Friday, October 4. This follows recent warnings from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who stated that any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would bring about "the end of its regime."

The sharp exchange of rhetoric comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Just weeks earlier, North Korean state media published images of Kim inspecting a uranium enrichment facility, which produces materials used for nuclear weapons.

During a visit to a military base in North Korea’s western region on Wednesday, Kim warned that if the South violated the North’s sovereignty, Pyongyang "would not hesitate to use all offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He added that such an action would result in "the permanent destruction of Seoul and the Republic of Korea," referring to South Korea by its official name.

Tensions between the two nations have escalated this year, with North Korea ramping up its nuclear production and strengthening ties with Russia, sparking growing concern in the international community about Pyongyang's increasing isolation and military ambitions.

Kim's remarks appeared to be a direct response to President Yoon’s statements made earlier this week during a military parade in Seoul for Armed Forces Day. Yoon showcased South Korea's most powerful ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, which is reportedly capable of targeting North Korea's underground bunkers. He reaffirmed that if North Korea were to use nuclear weapons, it would face a "resolute and overwhelming response" from the South Korean military and its key ally, the United States.

"The North Korean regime must abandon the delusion that nuclear weapons will protect them," Yoon said, emphasizing the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

The Korean Peninsula has remained divided since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving both sides technically still at war. North Korea’s continued nuclear advancements, coupled with Kim Jong Un’s fiery rhetoric, have only deepened concerns over the volatile relationship between the two neighbors.

Last month, North Korean state media released rare images of Kim Jong Un touring a nuclear facility, offering a glimpse into the secretive nation’s weapons program and further stoking global fears.