Kim Jong-un's 'Direct Confrontation Struggle Principle' Counterattack, Strongman-to-Strongman Standoff on the Korean Peninsula

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] As South Korea, the United States, and Japan warned of a strong response to North Korea's military provocations, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, declared the 'principle of direct confrontation struggle,' raising concerns about a head-on confrontation phase on the Korean Peninsula.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 11th, Kim reaffirmed the principle of strengthening defense capabilities and the principle of strong confrontation while mentioning the right to self-defense at the Party plenary meeting.

Presiding over the expanded plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee held from the 8th to the 10th, Kim stated, “The right to self-defense is a matter of protecting national sovereignty, and our Party's principle of strong confrontation and direct struggle is to make no concessions in defending our national sovereignty.” He also presented combative tasks that the military and defense research sectors must vigorously pursue.

Kim said, “Today, the security environment of our country is very serious, and the surrounding situation carries the risk of escalating into a more extreme confrontation,” adding, “Such a situation urges us to accelerate the goal of strengthening defense capabilities.”

He emphasized, “In response to the rapidly changing international political situation and the Korean Peninsula region's security environment, which is heading toward a tense phase, we have achieved historic progress in laying the foundation of guarantee and trust for national security through responsible and essential measures and resolute struggle.”

Although Kim's remarks did not mention nuclear forces or threats directed at the United States or South Korea, it is expected that a hardline stance toward the South and foreign countries will be maintained, including the declaration of a 'struggle against adversaries' policy.

Furthermore, this is interpreted as a countermeasure in response to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's statement that “North Korea is our enemy.”

Earlier, on the 8th, the deputy foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed to strengthen trilateral security cooperation in response to North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats.

Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, is speaking at the joint press conference of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan deputy foreign ministers held on the 8th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

After holding a trilateral deputy foreign ministers' meeting with Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Takeo Mori, Administrative Vice Minister of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, said, “The three countries agreed on the importance of close trilateral cooperation amid concerns about North Korea's possible seventh nuclear test and the increasing substantive threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, and decided to strengthen trilateral security cooperation.”

However, there was no mention of nuclear forces such as the seventh nuclear test, which only awaits Kim's decision, nor were there any direct threats aimed at South Korea or the United States. This is interpreted as taking into account that the United States is proposing dialogue with North Korea and has not abandoned diplomatic options.

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