The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un has ordered his
country to be ready to use nuclear weapons “at any time” in the face of a
growing threat from enemies, official media said on Friday.
Kim also said the North should turn its military posture to a “pre-emptive basis” because enemies were threatening the state’s survival, the regime’s KCNA news agency reported.
According to the agency, Kim made his comments while monitoring the test firing of a new large-calibre multiple rocket launcher on Thursday, just hours after the UN security council unanimously adopted a resolution penalising the North for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the North fired half a dozen rockets about 100-150km (60-90 miles) into the sea off its eastern coast on Thursday.
In a clear threat to neighbouring South Korea, Kim said the new rocket launcher should be “promptly deployed” along with other newly developed weaponry.
“At an extreme time when the Americans … are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability,” Kim said.
The US-drafted UN resolution adopted by the security council late on Wednesday laid out the toughest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear weapons programme and will, if implemented effectively, apply significant economic pressure to Kim’s regime.
The resolution breaks new ground, sanctioning specific sectors key to the North Korean economy – such as mineral exports – and seeking to undermine the North’s use of and access to international transport systems.
In the past has reacted to international pressure with alarming words often designed for an internal audience.
But experts will point to the fact that although Kim Jong-un’s possesses the ability to detonate a weapon in controlled tests, the prospect of delivering a nuclear warhead with a missile is highly doubtful.
North Korea has not issued an official reaction to the new UN sanctions. But citizens in its capital, Pyongyang, interviewed by the Associated Press said on Thursday they believe their country could fight off any sanctions.
“No kind of sanctions will ever work on us, because we’ve lived under US sanctions for more than half a century,” said Pyongyang resident Song Hyo-il. “And in the future we’re going to build a powerful and prosperous country here, relying on our own development.”
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China, North Korea’s closest ally, hoped the UN sanctions would be implemented “comprehensively and seriously”, while harm to ordinary North Korean citizens would be avoided.
At the United Nations, Russia’s ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, asked about the North’s firing of short-range projectiles, said: “It means that they’re not drawing the proper conclusions yet.”
Japan’s UN ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said: “That’s their way of reacting to what we have decided.”
“They may do something more,” Yoshikawa said. “So we will see.”
Dr Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea from the Australian National University, said the statement was not an idle threat, adding “North Korea is prepared to go a long way in this”.
“They believe it’s the only way they can protect their regime,” Petrov told Guardian Australia. “The survival of the regime is the main concern for the North Korean leadership.”
Petrov said the statement was intended to send a message to the UN security council, including former friendly nations Russia and China.
“I think North Korea simply mirroring the US rhetoric that nuclear weapons may be used pre-emptively and that’s what North Korea believes they also have the right to do,” he said.
Kim also said the North should turn its military posture to a “pre-emptive basis” because enemies were threatening the state’s survival, the regime’s KCNA news agency reported.
According to the agency, Kim made his comments while monitoring the test firing of a new large-calibre multiple rocket launcher on Thursday, just hours after the UN security council unanimously adopted a resolution penalising the North for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the North fired half a dozen rockets about 100-150km (60-90 miles) into the sea off its eastern coast on Thursday.
In a clear threat to neighbouring South Korea, Kim said the new rocket launcher should be “promptly deployed” along with other newly developed weaponry.
“At an extreme time when the Americans … are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability,” Kim said.
The US-drafted UN resolution adopted by the security council late on Wednesday laid out the toughest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear weapons programme and will, if implemented effectively, apply significant economic pressure to Kim’s regime.
The resolution breaks new ground, sanctioning specific sectors key to the North Korean economy – such as mineral exports – and seeking to undermine the North’s use of and access to international transport systems.
In the past has reacted to international pressure with alarming words often designed for an internal audience.
But experts will point to the fact that although Kim Jong-un’s possesses the ability to detonate a weapon in controlled tests, the prospect of delivering a nuclear warhead with a missile is highly doubtful.
North Korea has not issued an official reaction to the new UN sanctions. But citizens in its capital, Pyongyang, interviewed by the Associated Press said on Thursday they believe their country could fight off any sanctions.
“No kind of sanctions will ever work on us, because we’ve lived under US sanctions for more than half a century,” said Pyongyang resident Song Hyo-il. “And in the future we’re going to build a powerful and prosperous country here, relying on our own development.”
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China, North Korea’s closest ally, hoped the UN sanctions would be implemented “comprehensively and seriously”, while harm to ordinary North Korean citizens would be avoided.
At the United Nations, Russia’s ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, asked about the North’s firing of short-range projectiles, said: “It means that they’re not drawing the proper conclusions yet.”
Japan’s UN ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said: “That’s their way of reacting to what we have decided.”
“They may do something more,” Yoshikawa said. “So we will see.”
Dr Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea from the Australian National University, said the statement was not an idle threat, adding “North Korea is prepared to go a long way in this”.
“They believe it’s the only way they can protect their regime,” Petrov told Guardian Australia. “The survival of the regime is the main concern for the North Korean leadership.”
Petrov said the statement was intended to send a message to the UN security council, including former friendly nations Russia and China.
“I think North Korea simply mirroring the US rhetoric that nuclear weapons may be used pre-emptively and that’s what North Korea believes they also have the right to do,” he said.
