North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned that the growing security partnership between the United States, South Korea, and Japan poses a grave threat to his country, vowing to further expand North Korea's nuclear capabilities, state media reported Sunday.
In a speech marking the 77th anniversary of the Korean People's Army on Saturday, Kim denounced the trilateral alliance as a U.S.-led attempt to create a NATO-style military bloc in the region. He argued that this move is disrupting the military balance on the Korean Peninsula and "raising a grave challenge to the security environment of our state," according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"Referring to a series of new plans for rapidly bolstering all deterrence including nuclear forces, he clarified once again the unshakable policy of more highly developing the nuclear forces," KCNA reported.
Kim's latest remarks suggest that he remains unwilling to engage in diplomatic talks with President Donald Trump, despite Trump's recent overtures to rekindle negotiations.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has expressed interest in reopening dialogue with Kim, highlighting their past meetings. "We will have relations with North Korea, with Kim Jong Un. I got along with him very well, as you know. I think I stopped the war," Trump said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday.
In a Fox News interview on Jan. 23, Trump also referred to Kim as "a smart guy" and "not a religious zealot." When asked if he would reach out to Kim again, he responded, "I will, yeah."
Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2019 in historic talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program. However, the negotiations collapsed when Trump rejected Kim's proposal to dismantle his main nuclear complex in exchange for broad sanctions relief.
North Korea has yet to respond directly to Trump's latest remarks, continuing its weapons tests and maintaining a confrontational stance toward the U.S. Experts believe Kim's current focus is on supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine by dispatching North Korean troops to the battlefield. Analysts suggest that Kim may eventually reconsider diplomacy with Trump if he struggles to maintain strong ties with Russia after the war.
In his speech, Kim reaffirmed North Korea's unwavering support for Russia, stating that his country "will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity." He also accused the U.S. of fueling the war in Ukraine, claiming Washington is behind "the war machine which is stirring up the tragic situation of Ukraine."
Meanwhile, some in South Korea have voiced concerns that Trump may shift away from the international community's long-standing goal of complete denuclearization in favor of securing a diplomatic breakthrough. However, a joint statement issued by Trump and Ishiba after their summit reaffirmed "their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK," referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement also underscored the importance of the trilateral alliance between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in addressing the North Korean threat.
Kim's latest speech signals that North Korea will continue its military buildup amid heightened tensions, while the future of U.S.-North Korea diplomacy remains uncertain.
