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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned that his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating that North Korea would not engage Seoul. Kim made the remarks as he closed the ruling Workers’ Party congress in Pyongyang, where North Korean state media highlighted the party’s policy direction for the next five years and staged a high-profile nighttime military parade in the capital.
According to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, Kim also used the congress to press for continued acceleration of the nuclear and missile programs he said had already “permanently cemented” the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state. The congress, which ran for seven days and ended Wednesday, is North Korea’s most significant political event and is presented by the state as a choreographed showcase of Kim’s leadership.
KCNA said Kim called for developing new weapons systems to strengthen North Korea’s nuclear-armed military. That includes intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater, as well as an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons such as artillery and short-range missiles, with a focus on South Korea.
In parallel, state media reported that Kim demanded the United States drop what North Korea describes as “hostile” policy toward the North if Washington wants dialogue. Kim told the congress that the prospects for U.S.-North Korea relations “depends entirely on the U.S. attitude,” adding that North Korea was ready for either “peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation,” and that “the choice is not ours to make.”
South Korea responded through its Unification Ministry, saying it was regrettable that North Korea continued to define inter-Korean relations as hostile. The ministry said Seoul would “patiently” pursue efforts to stabilize peace.
Kim also renewed his refusal to engage South Korea directly, denouncing what he portrayed as deception in calls for engagement by the South’s leaders. He said there was “absolutely nothing to discuss” with an enemy state and that North Korea would “permanently exclude” the South from the notion of a shared nation, arguing that as long as the Republic of Korea shares a border with North Korea, the only way it can live safely is to abandon ties with North Korea and refrain from provoking it.
The congress ended with a nighttime military parade in Pyongyang in which Kim shared center stage with his daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13. Footage described them wearing matching leather coats and chatting and singing along as the parade unfolded and fighter jets flew over Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim’s state-founding grandfather.
State media visuals also indicated the parade omitted some of North Korea’s largest weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Officials and analysts said the omission fueled speculation that North Korea may be seeking to avoid antagonizing Washington ahead of possible dialogue, even as it raised pressure with sharper rhetoric toward Seoul.
AP reported that experts expect Kim’s hardening line toward South Korea to serve a broader effort to assert a more forceful regional role backed by North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and ties with Russia and China, rather than to presage immediate military clashes. The congress also laid out expanded goals for the next five years, including faster production of nuclear warheads and a broader range of delivery systems, as well as increased deployment of nuclear-capable artillery against South Korea each year and efforts to “fortify” the border.