South Korea warned North Korea on Tuesday that deploying nuclear weapons would put it on a "path of self-destruction," using unusually severe rhetoric only days after North Korea passed a new legislation allowing it to use nuclear weapons prematurely.
North Korea is likely to be enraged by South Korean statements, since Seoul normally avoids using such harsh remarks to prevent inflaming tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul: North Korea's Nuclear Use Would Lead to "Self-Destruction"
According to South Korea's Defense Ministry, the law would only further isolate North Korea and force Seoul and Washington to "further bolster their deterrent and response capacity."
South Korea will sharply increase its own preemptive attack, missile defense, and massive retaliation capabilities in order to persuade North Korea not to use its nuclear weapons, according to the ministry, while seeking a greater US security commitment to defend its ally South Korea with all available capabilities, including nuclear ones.
North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament passed legislation overseeing its nuclear weapons last week. The law would authorize North Korea to deploy its nuclear weapons in the event of an impending invasion or to avert an unknown "catastrophic crisis" for its people, as per NY Post.
The broad phrasing aroused fears that the regulations are primarily intended to provide a legal foundation for using nuclear weapons to frighten its adversaries into making concessions amid long-stalled talks over its weapons stockpile.
Earlier, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the US "remains fully committed to the defense of South Korea, using the full range of defense capabilities." Jean-Pierre also stated that the US has no hostile intent toward North Korea and is focused on advancing a shared goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in close coordination with its allies.
PPP Condemns Kim Jong Un's Vow
Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un stated that his nuclear weapons would never be used just as a deterrence and may be used offensively if his country's vital interests were challenged. Later, North Korea authorized plans to allocate additional responsibilities to front-line army troops, fueling concern that it was a step toward deploying battlefield nuclear weapons near its border with South Korea.
This year, Kim Jong Un has also conducted a record number of weapons tests, including the launch of a spate of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles aimed at both the US mainland and South Korea. For months, US and South Korean authorities have predicted that North Korea will conduct its first nuclear test in five years, NBC News reported.
Since assuming office in May, South Korea's new conservative administration, led by President Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed it will be harder on North Korean provocations while simultaneously offering substantial assistance packages if the North denuclearizes. North Korea has flatly rejected the aid-for-disarmament deal and hurled vulgar insults at the Yoon administration.
Per Korea Times, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) proposed on Wednesday that rival parties draft a joint resolution condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's promise to preserve the country's nuclear arsenal.
The idea comes only five days after North Korea's leader stated unequivocally that Pyongyang will not give up its nuclear arsenal and has no intention of resuming disarmament discussions.
North Korea enacted a new legislation proclaiming itself a nuclear weapons state and establishing the right to launch preemptive nuclear attacks for self-defense, which Kim Jong Un described as "irreversible." While the leader of the major opposition, Lee Jae-myung, expressed sadness in a Facebook post, his party has not released an official statement.
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