N.Korea’s Kim says country ready to mobilise nuclear war deterrent

Reuters home World Business Legal Markets Breakingviews Technology Investigations More My View July 27, 2022 11:49 PM UTC Last Updated 23 min ago N.Korea's Kim says country ready to mobilise nuclear war deterrent By Soo-Hyang Choi 1 minute read Special workshop for officials in the party life guidance sections of organisational departments of party committees at all levels of the Workers' Party of Korea North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un addresses a special workshop for officials in the party life guidance sections of organisational departments of party committees at all levels of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) July 7, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS SEOUL, July 28 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is ready to mobilize its nuclear war deterrent and for any military clash with the United States, state media reported on Thursday, amid signs the North could conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

Posted omni21 July 28, 2022 1 Min Read

Updated 2022/07/28 at 12:19 AM

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un addresses a special workshop for officials in the party life guidance sections of organisational departments of party committees at all levels of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) July 7, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS

Kim made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, which left the two Koreas technically still at war, according to the official KCNA news agency.

Kim also denounced South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol administration, saying any attempts to preemptively incapacitate the North would be met with a stern response and “annihilation”.

“I once again make it clear that North Korea is fully ready for any military confrontation with the United States,” Kim said.

North Korea in recent months has tested hypersonic missiles and missiles that it says could carry tactical nuclear weapons, narrowing the time that Seoul would have to respond to a pending attack.