North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has emphasized the need to bolster Pyongyang's nuclear deterrence, openly declaring that he wouldn't hesitate to "destroy" South Korea should it decide to attack his nation, according to the official news agency on Wednesday.
During his visit to major weapons factories, Kim stated that Seoul is considered the "principal enemy" for Pyongyang. He stressed that the top priority for his country is enhancing military capabilities for self-defense and deterring nuclear war above all else, as reported by the agency.
Kim portrayed the deteriorating relations between the two Koreas as a "new phase of change" and an "unavoidable reality."
The agency quoted Kim saying that North Korea would not unilaterally initiate escalation, but at the same time, it does not seek to avert war.
He made clear that if the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were to use its armed forces against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) or threaten its sovereignty and security, he would not hesitate to "annihilate the Republic of Korea using all means and forces at our disposal."
According to the agency, Kim was accompanied by senior officials from the party and the military on a tour to inspect ammunition factories on Monday and Tuesday. It was also mentioned that the purpose of this inspection is to motivate workers in the arms industry to participate in "the struggle to achieve the great production goal in the new year."
In separate statements during an end-of-year meeting in December, the North Korean leader stated that peaceful reunification is impossible and added that the government would make a decisive shift in its policy towards its southern neighbor.
Relations between the Koreas have been deteriorating since Kim's commitment to enhancing his country's status as a nuclear power and Pyongyang's resumption of its advanced intercontinental ballistic missile tests.