Kim Jong Un Says North Korea Will Focus On Bringing U.S. ‘to their knees’, expanding Nuclear Weapons

(AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal and develop more sophisticated atomic weapons systems, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy. The North Korean Leader also said that the nation should now focus on bringing its “arch-enemy” the United States, “to their knees,” saying,
“Our external political activities must focus on our arch-enemy and the fundamental obstacle to our revolutionary development, the United States,” Kim said, “The effort will focus on overpowering and bringing them to their knees,”

His comments came earlier this week in a marathon speech to the ongoing 8th Congress of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

The threat was seen as an effort to apply pressure on the incoming government of President-elect Joe Biden, who has called Kim a “thug” and has criticised his nuclear summitry with President Donald Trump.

The Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that Kim said “key to establishing new relations between (North Korea) and the United States is whether the United States withdraws its hostile policy” from North Korea.

Kim said he won’t use his nukes unless “hostile forces” intend to use their nuclear weapons against North Korea first. But he stressed North Korea must further strengthen its military and nuclear capability as the danger of a US invasion of North Korea increases.

Kim ordered officials to develop missiles with multiple warheads, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, spy satellites and nuclear-powered submarines.

He said North Korea must also advance the precision attack capability on targets in the 15,000 kilometres (9,320 miles)-striking range, an apparent reference to the U.S. mainland, and develop the technology to manufacture smaller, lighter nuclear warheads to be mounted on long-range missiles more easily.

It’s unclear if North Korea is capable of developing such modern weapons systems.

North Korea is one of the world’s most cloistered countries, and estimates on the exact status of its nuclear and missile programs vary widely.

Kim’s comments came during the North’s ruling party congress that was convened for the first time in five years.

The Korean Central News Agency released one still photo of Friday’s meeting on its website.

North Korea’s main state-run newspaper, the Workers’ Daily, published two still photos of Kim making his work report to the 8th Party Congress, accompanying a long article detailing its contents, without mentioning on which day the photos were taken.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was given a new title, “general secretary” of the ruling Workers’ Party, formerly held by his late father and grandfather, state media reported Monday, in what appears to be a symbolic move aimed at bolstering his authority amid growing economic challenges.

The party’s ongoing congress, the first of its kind in five years, announced Kim’s new title during its sixth-day session on Sunday.

A congress statement said Kim “has gloriously realized the historic mission to complete the country’s nuclear build-up plan,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

It’s largely a symbolic appointment as Kim already was the party’s top leader.

During a 2016 party congress, he was named to “party chairman,” the equivalent of “general secretary” held by his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung.

Before the 2016 congress, Kim Jong Un had led the party with the title of “first secretary.”

Since inheriting power upon his father’s death in late 2011, Kim, 37, has gradually consolidated his grip on power through a series of high-profile executions and purges that removed his potential rivals.

He has also taken up a spate of top jobs that includes chairman of the State Affairs Commission and supreme commander of the North’s 1.2 million-member military, along with the top party post.

The two late North Korean leaders have kept posthumous titles – Kim Jong Il remains “eternal general secretary” and Kim Il Sung is “eternal president.”

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with a strong personality cult that elevated key family members to a god-like status since Kim Il Sung founded the country in 1948. Their family’s mythical “Paektu” bloodline, named after the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, only gives their direct family members the rights to rule the impoverished yet nuclear-armed nation.