North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the United States of provoking tensions, claiming the Korean Peninsula is facing an unprecedented risk of nuclear war.
He made this statement during the opening ceremony of a weapons exhibition in Pyongyang, Reuters reports, citing North Korean state media.
"Never before have the parties in conflict on the Korean Peninsula faced such a dangerous and intense confrontation, which could at any moment escalate into the most destructive thermonuclear war," Kim said.
As usual, he placed the blame for regional tensions on the United States, accusing Washington of pursuing an aggressive and hostile stance toward North Korea.
"In negotiations with the United States, we went as far as we could. However, we concluded not that the superpower sought peaceful coexistence, but rather that it firmly adhered to its policy of power, aggression, and hostility toward us, which will never change," Kim stated.
He also emphasized the need to continue modernizing North Korea's weapons to state-of-the-art levels, pledging to enhance the country’s defense capabilities and strengthen its strategic position.
Kim’s statements come amid international criticism of North Korea's growing military cooperation with Russia and reports of more than 10,000 North Korean troops being sent to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In 2018 and 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, Trump and Kim held three high-profile meetings in Singapore, Hanoi, and on the North Korean-South Korean border. However, these talks failed to produce any meaningful outcomes, with Washington insisting on North Korea’s denuclearization and Pyongyang demanding sanctions relief.
North Korean state media have yet to publicly acknowledge Trump’s recent victory in the U.S. presidential election.
