Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have stepped up joint exercises in recent months, which Pyongyang claims are a prelude to invasion. Kim accused the U.S. and its allies of a “growing threat of aggression” and raged against “hegemonic forces” and an “indiscriminate tariff war.”
The warning comes as the despotic regime accelerates its weapons programme. In 2023 it unveiled the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of hitting anywhere on the U.S. mainland with its 9,300-mile range. Unlike older rockets, the missile can be launched with little warning, making it far harder to intercept.
At the same time Kim Jong Un is tightening ties with China and Russia. His regime has even sent troops to bolster Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping at a vast parade in Beijing, the first joint appearance by all three leaders.
North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui later pledged to “closely cooperate with China in multilateral affairs, jointly resist unilateralism and power politics and promote a fairer and more just world order.”
Beijing and Pyongyang vowed to oppose “all forms of hegemonism”, a swipe at the United States, and signalled at plans for deeper coordination.
Western analysts believe North Korea already holds around 50 nuclear warheads, with material to build more. The Federation of American Scientists says the exact number is unknown, but weapons paraded by the regime demonstrate a capability to strike across East Asia and into America.
Despite numerous UN resolutions demanding denuclearisation, progress has stalled. Both Russia and China have used their vetoes to block new sanctions and call for easing restrictions instead.
The United States has expanded exercises in the region, and South Korean officials say they are vital to counter the nuclear menace. President Lee Jae Myung has spoken of pursuing “peaceful coexistence” with the North, an olive branch brushed aside by Pyongyang’s UN address.
Instead Kim Son Gyong doubled down, openly tying the weapons programme to the survival of Kim Jong Un’s regime.
The chilling speech comes just weeks before President Donald Trump is due in Seoul for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Reports suggest Trump may meet Kim Jong Un on the trip, in what could be the first direct contact since their failed talks in 2019. He is also expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
