North Korean communist dictator Kim Jong-un declared that the country’s enemies — namely, America and South Korea — would soon understand “destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon” [sic] during a rocket launch this weekend, state media reported on Sunday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s flagship state news outlet, published photos of the rocket launch showing the dictator alongside his daughter, Ju-ae, believed to be about 12 years old. Kim has been careful to invite and prominently feature his daughter in several recent public appearances, including an excursion to test firearms at a munitions factory last week. South Korean intelligence officials stated this year that they believe Kim has formally chosen his daughter as a successor to his communist regime, which forces the people of North Korea to worship the Kim family.
The text of the KCNA coverage did not mention the younger Kim, offering details instead of the hardware being tested during the event and Kim’s remarks explaining the need for the rocket launches.
“The drill involved twelve 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies,” KCNA explained, revealing that the test took place on Saturday. Another North Korean propaganda outlet, the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, reported that the rockets were shot at an island in the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) and landed with alleged “100 percent” accuracy. Kim suggested in his remarks that the rockets were capable of carrying nuclear payloads.
“He said that the drill would expose the forces hostile to the DPRK, the enemies within the 420-km [about 260 miles] striking range, to uneasiness,” KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying, “making a signaling wave stronger than the aimed, and give them a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon.”
Kim described the rocket model used as a “very deadly yet attractive weapon” and claimed that it was the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world. He also indicated that North Korea would resume such exercises “frequently” in the future.
“As I have already stated, our powerful attacking capability is, in effect, for defending ourselves,” Kim was quoted as saying. “It is because the most powerful attacking capability precisely means a reliable defense capability. It is, in the true sense of the word, a means of deterring war.”
He added that any “military infrastructure” belonging to America or South Korea “can never survive” if located within the firing range of the rockets tested. South Korean experts told the Korea JoongAng Daily that the rocket system does appear to be a threat to American assets in the region.
“It openly signals that major U.S. military air bases in South Korea, including those in Pyeongtaek, Osan, and Gunsan, fall within the strike range,” researcher Hong Min told the newspaper. “It also showcases North Korea’s ability to conduct ‘tactical nuclear saturation’ strikes to counter the combined air power of South Korea and the United States.”
The tests appear to be in part a response to the ongoing war between America and Iran that began on February 28 with President Donald Trump’s announcement of the beginning of Operation Epic Fury. The operation has killed dozens of high-ranking Iranian officials, including “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities. In North Korea, the public is banned from reading news from any non-government media outlet, but North Korean state media has reported on the conflict in Iran, with which Pyongyang has maintained longstanding friendly ties. KCNA published a statement from the North Korean foreign ministry last week congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late ayatollah, on being declared the new “supreme leader” of the Islamist regime.
“Regarding the recent official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader,” the Foreign Ministry said.
While not mentioning Iran in the context of the rocket launch, Kim emphasized the need to convince hostile foreign powers that they cannot attack his regime without paying too high a price for doing so.
Contrary to hinting at war, President Trump reportedly reached out to the South Korean government last week indicating he had an interest in engaging Kim Jong-un in talks once again. Trump and Kim met on several occasions during Trump’s first term — a historic moment for both countries, which also included the first-ever visit to North Korea by an American president. Following the end of Trump’s first term, Kim took the unprecedented step of sending well-wishes to Trump and his family after the American president survived an assassination attempt in 2024.
According to South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who visited the White House on Friday, Trump was eager to talk about outreach to North Korea.
“I maintain a good relationship with Kim Jong-un. I am curious whether the chairman wants to engage in dialogue with the U.S. or with me,” Kim Min-seok said that Trump told him during the meeting, which reportedly included in-depth discussions on North Korea.
The prime minister said that he told Trump that he believed it would be “advisable to increase contact and dialogue to preserve even the smallest possibility of a summit between the U.S. and North Korea.” The prime minister also relayed a message from leftist President Lee Jae-myung that the latter believes “the only leader and peacemaker who can resolve the Korean Peninsula issue is President Trump.”
Trump’s interest in potentially meeting with Kim Jong-un arrives in the context of a planned visit to China in the near future. Some outlets have reported that Trump is expected to travel to Beijing from March 31 to April 2, though the Chinese government has not confirmed these reports — and rarely confirms such travel before it occurs. On Sunday, however, Trump hinted that he “may delay” his visit, expressing frustration with China’s failure so far to help prevent Iran, its BRICS ally, from shutting down commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent later told CNBC that “if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz.”
“If the meeting, for some reason, is rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics,” he added.
During its regular briefing on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not address these remarks, according to the official English-language transcript published by the Chinese government. The only comment regarding President Trump’s expected visit concerned the potential that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is under Chinese sanctions and banned from entering the country for his staunch anti-communist activism, would join Trump.
“The sanctions target Mr. Rubio’s words and deeds when he served as a U.S. senator concerning China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, suggesting Beijing would not block Rubio from entering the country.
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.
Read the full article here