Could North Korea ‘pre-emptively’ use nuclear weapons?
Threats by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un that his nuclear arsenal could be used in a pre-emptive strike against his enemies, made as he paraded the country’s latest military hardware through the streets of capital Pyongyang, have set alarm bells ringing. The world can ill-afford another military confrontation at this time, say analysts.
Thousands of troops marched through Kim Il Sung Square in a show of force on April 26, alongside armored vehicles and massive tractor-trailer vehicles transporting an array of missiles. Notably among them was a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The North claims to have successfully tested this on March 24 in a launch that marked a reversal in halting tests of both ICBMs and nuclear warheads.
Pyongyang claims the most advanced weapon in its armory can carry multiple warheads and has a range of more than 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles), putting the entire continental US within striking distance.
“The fundamental mission of our nuclear forces is to deter a war, butour nuclear weapons can never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent,” state-run media quoted Kim as saying.
“If any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state, our nuclear forces will have to decisively accomplish their second mission.”
Kim vowed to increase the nation’s nuclear capabilities at “the fastest possible speed,” adding that North Korea is “now fully prepared for any war.”
His remarks were broadcast alongside the military parade marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army.
How did the US and South Korea respond?
The government lead by South Korean President Moon Jae-in has made no official comment on Kim’s bombastic comments — which came just days after the two leaders exchanged “friendly” letters to mark Moon stepping down as president on May 10. But the US was quick to make its position clear.
In a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, a Department of Defense official reiterated that the North’s nuclear and missile programs pose a “serious threat to international peace and security and undermine the global nonproliferation regime.”