North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated on Wednesday that it is time to label South Korea as the "most hostile" state. Local media reported that Kim also accused South Korea of igniting confrontation and an arms race, promising to enhance his country’s military and nuclear capabilities to defend itself. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim's comments came during his inspection of ammunition factories earlier this week. He described the deteriorating relations between the Koreas as a "new phase of change" and an "inescapable reality." The agency quoted Kim saying, "We will never provoke any major event (war) through overwhelming force in the Korean Peninsula, but at the same time, we have no intention of avoiding war."
In separate remarks during a year-end meeting last month, Kim stated that peaceful reunification is impossible, adding that the government will undertake a "decisive change in policy" regarding relations with South Korea. Kim's visit to the weapons factories comes amid condemnation from around 50 countries over Russia purchasing ballistic missiles from North Korea and using them in the war in Ukraine. The White House noted that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan condemned North Korea's missile transfer to Russia in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart, Chang Hojin, on Tuesday, expressing "the strongest possible" disapproval. Official media reported that Kim also emphasized during his visit the "shortcomings" in his country's ammunition production and called for addressing this shortfall while stressing the "strategic importance of producing key weapons." Photos from the Korean Central News Agency showed Kim inspecting short-range mobile missile launchers.
