Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Thursday that any North Korean nuclear attack against the United States or others would “result in the end of the Kim regime.” The statement came hours after Pyongyang tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, again raising tensions in the region.

“Any nuclear attack against the United States or its Allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime,” Austin said during a meeting with Lee Jong-sup at the Pentagon on Thursday, according to a joint communique released by the Defense Department.

The administration included similar language in its National Defense Strategy, which the Pentagon released last week.

Both Austin and Lee told reporters after the meeting they were concerned about Pyongyang’s recent missile launches.

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Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/03/u-s-south-korea-defense-chiefs-north-korea-missile-00064898

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Kim told top military officers that to “maintain the absolute superiority” of North Korea’s armed forces, the country should be able to “pre-emptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves … if necessary,” the official KCNA news agency reported.

Pyongyang should continue to build up its arsenal so that it can have the “overwhelming military muscle that no force in the world can provoke,” Kim said, calling it the “lifeline guaranteeing the security of our country.”

The leader’s comments followed similar remarks at a military parade on Monday, when he said he could use his atomic arsenal if North Korea’s “fundamental interests” were threatened.

Kim made his latest comments at a meeting with top brass to praise their work on Monday’s parade, which commemorated the 90th anniversary of the country’s armed forces and showcased its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim’s military modernization drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring U.S. offers of talks.

Last month Pyongyang test-fired an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017 and satellite imagery has shown signs of activity at a nuclear testing site.

The string of weapons tests comes as South Korea prepares for an incoming president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes a more hawkish approach to Pyongyang and has not ruled out a pre-emptive strike if necessary.

Analysts say Kim’s warning shows he is not open to dialogue with Seoul’s new government.

“Kim’s remarks demonstrate no interest in engaging with the incoming Yoon administration in South Korea or restarting denuclearize talks with the United States,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/30/asia-pacific/kim-jong-un-nuclear-weapon/

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