North Korea's head of state has warned foreign countries against violating his country's sovereignty. If that were the case, he would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
North Korea: North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has threatened to use nuclear weapons if enemy forces violate the country's sovereignty.
North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has threatened to use nuclear weapons if enemy forces violate the country's sovereignty. Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
North Korea's head of state Kim Jong Un has threatened to defend his country with nuclear weapons in the event of an attack. The country will not hesitate to use all available forces, including nuclear weapons, if "the enemy" tries to intervene in its sovereignty by force, he said at a training base for special forces of the army, as the state news agency KCNA reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had previously warned at the beginning of the week that North Korea's use of nuclear weapons would mean the end of the regime. "If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will have to reckon with a determined and overwhelming response from our military and the South Korean-American alliance," said Yoon. South Korea celebrated National Armed Forces Day with a military parade on Tuesday. A ballistic missile that can carry a massive warhead was also presented.
Kim has now criticized Yoon for his statement. He accused Yoon of threatening regional security and peace. In September, Kim publicly presented a uranium enrichment facility for the first time and announced in this context that he wanted to exponentially increase the number of North Korean nuclear weapons.
It is not known how many nuclear weapons North Korea has. The Stockholm Peace Institute Sipri estimates that there are more than 50 nuclear warheads. According to further estimates, North Korea also has enough fissile material to build dozens more nuclear weapons.
North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear weapons program for decades. The country has already launched six underground nuclear tests, the last known test took place in 2017. The country is subject to extensive UN sanctions and import bans.
