Kim Jong-un Justified Strengthening National Defense Power... "No Basis to Believe US Is Hostile"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea, demanded strengthening of national defense, stating that "there is no basis to believe that the United States is not hostile." At the same time, he said that the strengthening of defense is "not aimed at South Korea." By expressing the justification for strengthening national defense while delivering messages to the U.S. and South Korea, he urged both countries to adopt a more progressive attitude.

Korean Central News Agency reported on the 12th that Kim made these remarks during a commemorative speech at the Defense Development Exhibition 'Jawi-2021' on the 11th, saying, "The United States is still creating regional tensions through mistaken judgments and actions."

In his speech, Kim emphasized that "Although the United States has recently been frequently sending signals that it is not hostile to our country, there is not a single behavioral basis to believe that it is not hostile," stressing that the instability on the Korean Peninsula cannot be easily resolved because of the U.S.

He also criticized the South for military modernization and the introduction of U.S. weapons, calling it an "excessive attempt," and pointed out that "what is even more dangerous is their justification for military modernization and their hypocritical and coercive double standards."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Nevertheless, he emphasized, "If South Korea persistently does not pick a fight with us and does not interfere with our exercise of sovereignty, I assure you that there will never be a situation that causes tension on the Korean Peninsula," and stressed, "We are not strengthening our defense aimed at South Korea."

Kim raised his voice, saying, "Without strong self-defense capability, we cannot expect the successful implementation of the Party and government's domestic and foreign policies, nor can we think of the country's stability and peaceful environment. For the sake of our future generations, we must be strong. We must first become strong."

This speech is analyzed as securing domestic justification for strengthening national defense while also containing messages to the U.S. and South Korea. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said, "It simultaneously demands 'active actions' from the U.S. and 'responses to preconditions' from the South," analyzing that "it is a strategic intention to lead inter-Korean and U.S. issues through strong national defense, whether through dialogue or confrontation."

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