Time to get tightly prepared for N. Korea’s tyrannous provocations

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a high-handed, aggressive mention of its relations with South Korea and the United States. In a five-day plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea later last year. “War is not an abstract concept but a palpable reality,” he said. “We will make full use of his tools and capabilities, including nuclear weapons, in case of war to make tight preparations for controlling the whole South Korean area.” The North Korean leader dubbed the two Koreas hostile countries at war, declaring a fundamental change in his stance on South Korea.

Kim’s threatening remarks on war give us a signal that Pyongyang will carry out more reckless and violent provocations this year. Since 2022, Pyongyang has created a ‘strong vs. strong confrontation’ and made reckless nuclear and missile provocations. He made it clear that it will enhance its offensive strategy based on the confidence that it developed nuclear missiles with not only the Korean peninsula but also the U.S. mainland in a firing range and launched military spy satellites later last year. Kim also signaled omnidirectional provocations, including launching three new spy satellites, fortifying naval defenses on the surface and underwater, and developing unmanned planes and electronic warfare tools.

With the general elections scheduled this April in mind, Pyongyang seems determined to drive inter-Korean relations into a state of confrontation. Kim said that the two countries are not the same ethnic groups but warring nations. Having long used disparaging expressions about South Korea, he defined it as a hostile country and reformed agencies targeting South Korea, including the United Front Department. Such a menacing declaration may imply that it will go beyond a show of force to wield military power in real terms.

Kim argued that Seoul and Washington have contributed to an endless uncontrollable crisis with the insanity of confrontation and provocation, blaming it on Washington and its followers. However, he does not make any sense at all. After all, it is the North Korean regime that was hell-bent on firing missiles and taking advantage of the new Cold War era while siding with China and Russia. No one believes that the North has lessened famine and fired spy satellites thanks to its self-rehabilitation and self-sufficiency efforts. Kim clarified that it will aggressively deploy the joint fight against Washington. In a situation where the world is already ailing in the two ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East, Kim threatens to start a third war in Northeast Asia.