North Korea is ready to mobilize its nuclear war deterrent , its leader Kim Jong-un said.
Speaking at a Korean War anniversary event, Kim added that the country was “fully ready for any military confrontation” with the US, state news agency KCNA reported.
The comments come amid concern that North Korea may be preparing for a seventh nuclear test .
The United States warned last month that Pyongyang could conduct such a test at any time.
North Korea’s most recent nuclear test was in 2017. However, tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula.
US special representative to North Korea Sung Kim says he has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year: 31 compared to 25 during his entire last record year, 2019.
In June, South Korea responded by launching eight missiles of its own.
Although the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, North Korea claims it as a victory against the United States. The annual “Victory Day” celebrations are marked by military parades, fireworks and dances.
In his speech to mark the event, Kim said that US nuclear threats required North Korea to accomplish the “urgent historical task” of bolstering its self-defense.
The United States had misrepresented North Korea’s regular military exercises as provocations, he added.
Kim also appeared to address reports that South Korea is moving to revive a plan to counter North Korea’s nuclear threat by mounting precautionary strikes in case an attack is imminent.
The so-called “Kill Chain” strategy, first drawn up a decade ago, calls for preemptive strikes against Pyongyang’s missiles and possibly its top leaders.
Some analysts have warned that it carries its own risks and could fuel an arms race.
At the Victory Day celebration, Kim said South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government and military would be “wiped out” if he carried out preemptive strikes.
