Kim Jong Un: We Will Not Hesitate to Use Nuclear Weapons If Attacked

(Patria) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has intensified provocative rhetoric that has increasingly worsened relations between the two Koreas, vowing to use "all offensive forces at its disposal, including nuclear weapons."

South Korea said its response, backed by the United States, would be "overwhelming" and result in "the end of the North Korean regime," reported
AFP.

Kim Jong Un said his forces would use nuclear weapons "without hesitation" if Seoul and its ally the United States attack North Korean territory, state media reported this morning.

"If the enemy... attempts to use armed forces infringing on the sovereignty of the DPRK... the DPRK would without hesitation use all offensive forces at its disposal, including nuclear weapons," the KCNA news agency quoted him as saying, using the acronym for North Korea's official name.

Kim made the remarks on Wednesday at a special forces training base in western Pyongyang, after South Korea held a military parade earlier this week and its President Yoon Suk Yeol threatened "the end of the North Korean regime" if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons.

"If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face a decisive and overwhelming response from our military and the US-ROK alliance," Yoon said.

"That day will be the end of the North Korean regime," he added, addressing thousands of troops gathered at an air base in Seoul for the event.

In response, Kim labeled Yoon a "puppet" and an "abnormal man," KCNA reported.

Kim's statements refer to Seoul's alliance with the United States, which is their main military partner. Tens of thousands of American soldiers are stationed in South Korea. Seoul does not have its own nuclear bombs and is covered by the US nuclear umbrella.

The latest spat comes weeks after North Korea for the first time revealed images of a uranium enrichment facility, showing leader Kim touring the site while calling for more centrifuges to strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal.

The country, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under UN sanctions for its banned weapons programs, had never before publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility.

Relations between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points in recent years, with Pyongyang recently announcing the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers to the southern border. Pyongyang has designated Seoul as its "principal enemy" and declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power.