Kim Jong-un Has No Plans for Unilateral Decisions

Amid an escalating security crisis due to hostile remarks and military actions between North and South Korea since the New Year, Kim Jong-un, the North Korean Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, declared that he has no intention of avoiding war if South Korea threatens them.

On the 10th, North Korean state-run media <Chosun Central News Agency> reported that Chairman Kim made such remarks while visiting major arms factories on the 8th and 9th to check on the ‘status of weapon combat technology production’.

The report stated that Chairman Kim said, “The historical period has arrived when we need to define South Korea, which has pursued only malicious confrontation for nearly 80 years, trying to overturn our regime and system, as the most hostile country to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)”.

According to the report, Chairman Kim emphasized, “Our country must acknowledge this reality that we cannot avoid or reverse, actively respond to the new changing phase, and accurately solve the historical issue of thoroughly responding to everything”.

The report conveyed that Chairman Kim, defining “South Koreans as our main enemy,” said, “In our relations with the hostile country that is intensifying its confrontational stance with us and heating up its military power, what we should prioritize the most are first and foremost, self-defense and strengthening nuclear deterrent”.

Furthermore, Chairman Kim stressed, “We will not unilaterally cause a major incident on the Korean Peninsula by overwhelming power, but we also have absolutely no intention of avoiding war. If South Korea dares to use force against our country or threatens our sovereignty and safety, if such an opportunity arises, we will mobilize all means and capabilities at our disposal without hesitation to destroy South Korea”.

He added, “Unless the gangster ruling forces of South Korea realize the error of their self-destructive anti-North Korea confrontation policy that goes against the peace aspirations of humanity and completely abandon it, our republic’s clear practical actions based on the principle of justice struggle will be carried out without fail”.

Previously, on December 30th last year, Chairman Kim also expressed a hostile stance towards North-South relations on the last day of the 9th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Party.

He defined that “the painful North-South relations, which have only repeated distrust and confrontation, have completely solidified into a hostile relationship between two countries, two warring countries, not a fraternal relationship, a homogeneous relationship, based on a cool analysis of the history of North-South relations”.

On the second day of the plenary session, December 27th, he also proposed “combat tasks to further accelerate the completion of war preparations in the People’s Army, military-industrial sector, nuclear weapons sector, and civil defense sector” based on “a profound analysis of the extremely serious political and military situation on the Korean Peninsula caused by unprecedented anti-republic confrontation by the United States and its followers”.

Since the New Year, North and South Korea have been showing hostile behavior towards each other by conducting military training. On the 3rd, the South Korean Navy conducted “the first naval gun firing training and naval maneuvering training in the eastern, western, and southern seas of the New Year,” and the two countries also conducted joint military training centered on live-fire shooting in the border area from December 29th last year to the 5th.

In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea conducted more than 200 rounds of firing in the northern Jangsan Cape area of Baengnyeong Island and the northern Deoksang Cape area of Yeonpyeong Island on the 5th. Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee, claimed that it was a deception operation.

By, Jae Ho Lee