North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Sunday to “exponentially” increase the number of nuclear weapons in his country and further advance his hostile ICBM program.
Kim delivered the message after a meeting of his ruling party this weekend, declaring South Korea the country’s “undisputed enemy” and escalating his aggressive stance amid a list of recent missile launches that are likely to set the tone for the year. North Korea followed up those statements with a short-range ballistic missile test on New Year’s Day that Kim said could reach anywhere in South Korea.
The efforts are widely seen as an attempt by Kim to force the international community to negotiate with North Korea and lend legitimacy to his government. The country is still subject to harsh economic and diplomatic sanctions and has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol responded to the threat this weekend with a firm statement, saying Seoul would punish any provocation to prevent a war on the peninsula. Yoon has taken a much harder line on the North than his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, calling the southern neighbor “the main enemy”.
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“Our military should absolutely punish any provocation from the enemy with a firm determination not to avoid going to war,” Yoon told Yonhap News. “I urge you to remember that the firm stance of our troops in mental preparation and realistic training can only ensure strong security.”
North Korea launched about 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, Yonhap said, the most in a single year. Speculation has grown that the country could carry out a nuclear test in the coming months, which would be the first in years and a guaranteed escalation of international tensions.
“As we welcome the new year, we urge North Korea to take the path of peace on the Korean peninsula and common prosperity for the Koreans instead of remaining on the wrong path,” the South Korean military said in a statement on Monday.
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