(UnitedVoice.com) – Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s authoritarian leader, desperately wants a big-boy military that can take on America. He’s threatened to attack the United States and South Korea repeatedly. In recent years, his rhetoric has reached a fever pitch.
Recently, the leader ranted about routine military exercises carried out with the US and its allies, Japan and South Korea. North Korea threatened nuclear war.
A Threat
On August 28, Kim gave a speech to mark Navy Day. He claimed the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula are not stable because there is an alleged threat of a nuclear war. Kim accused the United States of creating a hostile environment.
The North Korean dictator told his citizens that the situation required his navy to “put all its efforts” into making sure its military maintains its “constant combat alertness.” He described South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Joe Biden as “gang bosses” in their countries.
According to reports, Kim is focusing on equipping his navy’s submarines with nuclear-capable missiles, though it’s not clear how successful he will be. The country recently failed in its second attempt to deploy a spy satellite into orbit. The missile that was carrying the equipment failed in its third stage of the flight.
Since the beginning of 2022, Kim has carried out over 100 weapons tests. Some of the weapons have involved nuclear-capable missiles the authoritarian claims could hit the US, Japan, and South Korea.
Training Exercises Set Kim Off
The US military began exercises with South Korea in mid-August. The drills happen each year, but Kim has decided they are rehearsals for the countries to invade the North. On August 29, Japan joined the South and the US when they conducted drills in international waters off the coast of southern Jeju Island, which is part of South Korea.
The militaries were practicing procedures that would be carried out to detect, track, and share information about missiles launched by North Korea.
Lim Soosuk, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in South Korea, released a statement regarding Kim’s latest rhetoric, expressing disappointment over his use of “very rude language” to insult and slander the leaders of the three countries. They called on the North Korean leader to stop his provocation and threats.
Cho Hyundong, the South Korean ambassador to the US, said the efforts of the the allied countries won’t be stopped by rhetoric from the North Korean leader. In fact, Cho said the “continued violation of multiple critical U.N. security resolutions by [Kim] will only strengthen the trilateral security cooperation.”
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