FIGHTING FIT
Slimmed-down Kim Jong-un readies for ‘confrontation’ with US and vows build more nukes in defiance of Biden
A SLIMMER Kim Jong-un says he is preparing for military "confrontation" with the US.
The North Korean dictator has also vowed to build more nukes in defiance of President Joe Biden.
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He said the country should be ready for both dialogue and, in particular, confrontation with America, state media reported on Friday.
It's his first message toward the US since Biden's inauguration.
Jong-un made the stark threat while addressing a key Workers' Party meeting according to state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He critiqued the new US administration's stance with "our Republic" and set out his "strategic and tactical counteraction with the US".
KCNA added that "the General Secretary stressed the need to get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation.
"Especially to get fully prepared for confrontation to protect... our state and its... security."
Jong-un also vowed to "sharply and promptly react to the fast-changing situation on taking control of the situation on the Korean peninsula," the agency said.
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His comments came while addressing the third-day plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee.
Pyongyang had already accused Biden of pursuing a "hostile policy".
It also slammed as a "big blunder" the Democrat's vow to deal with the threat posed by the North's nuke programme "through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence".
Jong-un's threat was made days after the US and others urged the North to abandon its nuclear programme and return to talks.
But the dictator said last week that North Korea's military must stay on high alert to defend its national security.
His threatening statement indicates he'll likely push to beef up his nuclear arsenal.
Jong-un could be assembling a deadly arsenal of 240 nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles which could wipe out the West.
Fears over a war with North Korea continue to rise after “heightened activity” was recently detected at the state’s main testing site.
Satellite images showing their continued campaign of construction has led experts to believe that the secretive state is now ramping up their nuclear programme.
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Although he is piling pressure on Washington to give up what North Korea considers as hostile American policy, he'll also prepare for talks to resume, some experts say.
But, Biden said he "would not meet" him without a concrete plan for negotiating on Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, during a visit to Washington last month by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
He also hit out at ex-president Donald Trump's chummy relationship with Jong-un, saying he "would not do what had been done in the recent past.
"I would not give him all he's looking for - international recognition".
The White House said it was now pursuing "a calibrated practical approach" - diplomatic jargon for being low-key, while open-minded.
"We understand where previous efforts in the past had difficulties and we've tried to learn from those," a senior White House official said.
North Korea has carried out six atomic bomb tests since 2006.
It is under multiple sets of international sanctions for its banned weapons programmes.
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Kwak Gil Sup, head of One Korea Centre, a website specialising in North Korea affairs, said that Jong-un's statement suggested he was taking a two-track approach of bolstering military capability and preparing for talks.
He said that the dictator would more likely focus on boosting military strength and repeating his demand for the US to withdraw its hostile policy, rather than hastily returning to talks.
Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said North Korea may resume dialogue with the US, but it won't accept a push for immediate, complete denuclearisation.
He said North Korea may, however, agree to a proposal to freeze its atomic programme.
It may even partially reduce its nuclear arsenal in phased steps if the Biden administration relaxes sanctions and suspends its regular military drills with South Korea.
Earlier this week, leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a statement calling for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
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They also pushed for the verifiable and irreversible dumping ot its nuclear and missile programmes. The G7 bosses urged North Korea to engage and resume dialogue.
Jong-un called the Workers Party meeting to review efforts to rebuild his economy.
North Korea has been severely crippled by Covid pandemic border closings, mismanagement amid the US-led sanctions, along with storm damage to crops and infrastructure last year.
Jong-un warned of food shortages, urging officials to find ways to boost agricultural production because the country's food situation is grim.
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