PYONGYANG, Feb 26: In a rare message to the US, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said Pyongyang would be willing to improve relations with the United States if Washington drops what he described as a hostile policy and acknowledges North Korea’s constitutional status as a nuclear state.
“If the US respects the current position of our nuclear state as defined in the Constitution of the DPRK and withdraws its hostile policy toward the DPRK, there is no reason we cannot establish good relations with the US,” Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He was speaking at a nuclear military parade marking the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).
The United States and North Korea could “get along”, Kim added, but only if the US accepts that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are here to stay.
His comments were seen as opening a door to talks with US President Donald Trump ahead of Trump’s visit to China in April.
However, Kim dashes hopes of any diplomatic thaw with South Korea, calling them the North’s “most hostile entity”.
Kim stated that over the past five years, the WPK has permanently established the country’s identity as a nuclear state, making clear to adversaries that Pyongyang will not relinquish its nuclear weapons unless there is a fundamental change in the global environment.
He emphasized that further expanding and strengthening the country’s nuclear armed forces – regarded as central to its deterrence and war-fighting strategy – and consistently exercising what he called the rights of a nuclear state reflect the party’s firm resolve.
“We have a long-term plan to strengthen the national nuclear force on a yearly basis and will focus on increasing the number of nuclear weapons, as well as expanding the means and scope of nuclear operations,” Kim said.
He added that North Korea intends to modernize its strike capabilities and nuclear command and control systems, enhance combat readiness through drills, and improve nuclear crisis response mechanisms. Kim also underscored the importance of equipping the navy with nuclear weapons as part of broader military modernization efforts.
According to Kim, the DPRK’s status as a nuclear weapons state serves to deter potential adversaries and maintain regional stability, describing the nuclear force as a key safeguard for national security, interests, and development rights.
He further accused US-led alliances in the Asia-Pacific of expanding beyond acceptable limits, saying their military activities are creating a tense and unusual situation that threatens security on the Korean Peninsula and across the region.
(UNI)
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