Kim nukeles down
Calls for even more arms
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un plans to beef up his country’s nuclear weapons arsenal and has warned the United States to tone down its “hostile policy,” state media reported Saturday.
At a key congress of North Korea ruling Workers Party last week, Kim told officials to develop missiles with multiple warheads, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, spy satellites and nuclear-powered submarines.
Kim also said the country should advance its precision-attack capability against targets in a 9,320 mile striking range — which would include the US mainland — and develop technology to manufacture smaller, lighter nuclear warheads.
Kim’s remarks were viewed as a pre-emptive verbal strike against the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has labeled Kim a “thug.”
Kim said the “key to establishing new relations [between North Korea and the US] is whether the United States withdraws its hostile policy,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim stressed that he would not unleash nukes unless “hostile forces” try to use their nuclear weapons first against North Korea.
But he said North Korea must up its military and nuclear capability in light of what he said could be a possible US invasion.
He did not cite any examples of such a threat by Americans.
In the past, North Korea has described routine US military drills with South Korea, flights by US surveillance aircraft and the American military presence in South Korea as proof of hostility.