North Korea's Kim Jong-un: "Strong on Strength with the US... Will Respond to the South According to Agreement Implementation"

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, emphasized the withdrawal of hostile policies to the United States and the implementation of inter-Korean agreements to the South. Chairman Kim officially announced the development of nuclear submarines and admitted economic failures domestically, presenting a new five-year plan centered on self-reliance.

On the 9th, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim’s report summarizing the work of the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party held from the 5th to the 7th, stating, "We will continue to confront the United States on the principle of strength against strength and retaliation against retaliation."

It further stated, "The key to establishing a new North Korea-United States relationship lies in the United States withdrawing its hostile policy toward North Korea."

In his report, Chairman Kim said, "Regardless of who governs in the United States, the essence of the United States as an entity and its true intention toward North Korea’s policy never change," adding, "Our foreign political activities must focus on suppressing and subjugating the United States, the fundamental obstacle and greatest enemy to our revolutionary development."

Addressing the South, he expressed displeasure at military buildup and demanded faithful implementation of inter-Korean agreements.

Chairman Kim stated, "The current state of inter-Korean relations can be said to have reverted to the period before the Panmunjom Declaration," and added, "We must first explain the statements made directly by the ruling party, such as developing missiles that fly more accurately, powerfully, and farther, or developing ballistic missiles with the world’s largest warhead weight."

He also showed a negative response to the South Korean government’s proposed cooperation on COVID-19 prevention.

Chairman Kim pointed out, "Currently, the South Korean authorities are raising non-essential issues such as epidemic prevention cooperation, humanitarian cooperation, and individual tourism, giving the impression that they are interested in improving inter-Korean relations."

He continued, "At this point, there is no need to unilaterally show goodwill to the South Korean authorities as before; they should be met only to the extent that they respond to our legitimate demands and move to implement inter-Korean agreements."

However, Chairman Kim left room for improvement in relations, saying, "Depending on the attitude of the South Korean authorities, inter-Korean relations could soon return to the new starting point of peace and prosperity, as desired by the entire nation, like the spring three years ago."

North Korea also disclosed plans to strengthen its defense capabilities.

Chairman Kim officially confirmed the development of nuclear submarines, stating, "The new nuclear submarine design research has been completed and is in the final review stage."

Regarding intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), he said, "The goal has been set to further improve the accuracy to precisely strike and annihilate any strategic targets within a range of 15,000 km, enhancing the capability for nuclear preemptive and retaliatory strikes."

Chairman Kim said, "We will develop tactical nuclear weapons and continue to push forward the production of super-large nuclear warheads," adding, "Tasks include developing and introducing hypersonic glide vehicle warheads in the near future and advancing the development of underwater and ground solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic rockets as planned."

He raised his voice, saying, "Our national defense power has reached a level capable of preemptively suppressing threats from hostile forces outside our territory," and "The escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula will lead to security instability for the forces threatening us."

Chairman Kim claimed to be a "responsible nuclear power" and affirmed, "We will not misuse nuclear weapons unless hostile forces attempt to use nuclear weapons against us."

While acknowledging insufficient economic performance, Chairman Kim presented a new national economic development five-year plan emphasizing self-reliance.

He cited "barbaric sanctions and blockades, severe natural disasters, and prolonged global health crises" as economic obstacles and said, "National investments and guarantee projects anticipated to boost major economic sectors were not properly executed."

He emphasized, "The basic seed and theme of the new national economic development five-year plan remain self-reliance and self-sufficiency."

Meanwhile, North Korea has been holding the 8th Party Congress since the 5th and has not disclosed the exact end date, reporting that the congress continues on this day as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.