Seoul, South Korea – North Korea on Tuesday criticized the United States and Asian neighbors for pursuing the “absurd” goal of denuclearizing the North and saying it will push to expand its nuclear forces under the leadership of his authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un.
The statement from Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry came after the top diplomats in the United States, South Korea and Japan met at a security conference in Germany and confirmed their obligation to strengthen military cooperation and strengthen an international sanctions regime to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
The North Korean ministry accused the United States of trying to realize an “outdated and absurd plan” to cut the North and warned of “overwhelming and crucial contradiction” against its rivals if it perceives its security threatened. It said that the Nordic countries will “consistently adhere to the new line of strengthening nuclear power”, which is determined by Kim and “thoroughly deter the United States and its vasal forces” from threats and extortion against the sovereignty of the Nordic countries.
It was the latest North Korean statement that accused the United States of maintaining hostile policies against Pyongyang, although state media has so far avoided directly naming US President Donald Trump, who during his first period engaged in unprecedented summits with the North Korean leader.
US Secretary of State Mark Rubio held a three-way meeting with the South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers in Munich, Germany, Saturday and confirmed their commitment to the Nordic’s “complete denuclearization” and maintained an effective sanctions regime that targeted the country’s weapons program. The countries also agreed to strengthen defense and deterrence, including by expanding three-way military exercises and strengthening Japan and South Korea’s military capacity, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.
Trump and Kim met three times in 2018 and 2019 in Trump’s first period, but their diplomacy quickly collapsed over disagreements about the exchange of the release of US-led sanctions for North Korean steps to run its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has since suspended some meaningful conversations with Washington and Seoul as Kim ramped his test activity and military demonstrations to address what he portrayed as “gangster -like American threats.”
Kim’s priority of foreign policy is now Russia, which he has provided with weapons and troops to help extend Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Seoul fears that Kim can receive financial assistance and advanced technology to develop his arsenal in exchange for his military support Russia.
The North’s official Korean central news agency said a diplomatic delegation led by Kim IK Song, director of the Bureau of Affairs With Diplomatic Corps, traveled to Russia on Monday in the latest diplomatic activity between the countries. The agency did not specify what will be discussed during the meetings.
Trump’s election benefit has affected speculation about a possible resumption of summit diplomacy with Kim, but analysts say a rapid return to 2018 is unlikely, given the significant changes in the regional security situation and broader geopolitics since then.
North Korea’s Nuclear Program is no longer an independent question, but associated with broader challenges created by Russia’s war against Ukraine and complicated further by weakened sanctions enforcement against pyongyang.
Kim’s efforts to increase North Korea’s presence in a unified front against Washington could also gain strength if Trump’s efforts to increase duty and reset the global trade recreate a trade war with China, the Nordic region’s most important allies and economic lifeline, according to some experts.
