North Korea’s Kim vows to sharpen ‘treasured sword’ against US and South, 2024 will be ‘new heyday’ for war preparations

Kim Jong-un has ordered his military to ‘thoroughly annihilate’ the US and South Korea if provoked

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says he will strengthen his military’s pre-emptive strike in his New Year’s Day address

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, (second right), with his daughter and his wife Ri Sol Ju, attends a performance to celebrate the New Year in Pyongyang on Sunday. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

Published: 2:32pm, 1 Jan 2024

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un ordered his military to “thoroughly annihilate” the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reported on Monday after he vowed to boost national defence to cope with what he called an unprecedented US-led confrontation.

Kim said 2024 will be “a new heyday” of war preparations and that the Korean Peninsula is “inching closer to the brink of armed conflict”, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

He 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 five-day major ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase his leverage in future diplomacy with the US.

In a meeting on Sunday 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 programme. He cited “the US and other hostile forces’ military confrontation moves,” according to KCNA.