Kim Jong Un Threatens Nuclear Strike on U.S. and South Korea Amid Rising Tensions Before U.S. Elections

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has once more raised the stakes after he reportedly warned Friday that he will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against either the U.S. or South Korea This fresh warning comes with just weeks to go before the U.S. election-day and raises fears of a deliberate ploy to draw international attention at a critical political juncture.

Kim also said in the recent statement that South Korea and the U.S., which have been stepping up military cooperation under Trump’s administration, are a “fundamental stumbling block for serious-minded inter-Korean economic projects.” He said that if North Korea is attacked, it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons in self-defense. The threats come amid North Korea’s continued drive to expand its nuclear capabilities as it exposed a new plant that would produce uranium for weapons.

Kim has stepped up his rhetoric as South Korea and the U.S. conduct joint military exercises and strengthen their nuclear deterrence strategies ー developments that he considers a direct threat to Pyongyang’s security. It has long been suggested that North Korea’s aim is to use its nuclear programme to elicit concessions from the US, with experts expressing concern that Kim may increase provocations between now and the US elections, which could range up to a new nuclear test.

We remain a nation at war in Korea…a conflict that has not yet ended, and the Korean Peninsula remains tense, especially with North Korea now officially no longer interested in peaceful unification and adopting a “two-state” policy turning South Korea into its primary antagonist. The tendency of such outcomes is an escalation in risk, namely conflict.
(VeteranBenefitsHub)​(The Independent)​(Telegraph India).