North Korea’s Kim says military will ‘thoroughly annihilate’ US, South Korea if provoked

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders his military to “thoroughly annihilate” the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reports, after he vowed to boost national defenses to cope with what he called an unprecedented US-led confrontation.

Kim is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the US presidential election in November. Many experts say he likely believes his expanded nuclear arsenal would allow him to wrest US concessions if former president Donald Trump is reelected.

In a meeting yesterday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen “the treasured sword” to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country’s nuclear weapons program. He cited “the US and other hostile forces’ military confrontation moves,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim stressed that “our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without moment’s hesitation” if they opt for military confrontation and provocations against North Korea, KCNA says.