\nNorth, Koreas, Kim, Jong, Vows<\/span>
\nNorth Korea\u2019s Kim Jong Un Vows to Bolster Nuclear Arsenal, Warns of Destroying South Korea if Threatened, Whil<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n Pyongyang, North Korea \u2013 February 26, 2026<\/strong> \u2013 In a fiery closing address to the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers\u2019 Party of Korea (WPK), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered a stark message to the world: Pyongyang will relentlessly expand its nuclear forces to cement its status as a nuclear-armed state, while declaring South Korea its \u201cmost hostile enemy\u201d and warning that the North could \u201ccompletely destroy\u201d its southern neighbor if it feels threatened. Yet, in a nuanced twist amid escalating global tensions, Kim left the door ajar for potential dialogue with the United States\u2014provided Washington abandons what he called its \u201chostile policies\u201d and recognizes North Korea\u2019s irreversible nuclear status.<\/p>\n The remarks, reported extensively by state media outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday, capped a week-long party congress\u2014the first in five years\u2014that focused on charting Pyongyang\u2019s course for the next half-decade. Kim\u2019s speech blended unyielding defiance toward Seoul with conditional openness toward Washington, reflecting a strategic pivot that analysts say aims to isolate South Korea while probing for leverage in any future dealings with the incoming U.S. administration under President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n A Parade of Power and Succession Signals<\/strong><\/p>\n The congress concluded with a massive nighttime military parade in Pyongyang\u2019s Kim Il Sung Square, where floodlights illuminated columns of goose-stepping soldiers, fighter jets roaring overhead, and senior officials arrayed on a podium. Prominently featured beside Kim was his teenage daughter, widely believed to be Kim Ju Ae, fueling renewed speculation about her grooming as a potential successor. State media photos captured the pair observing the display, with Ju Ae appearing in multiple frames\u2014continuing a pattern of high-profile appearances that began in late 2022.<\/p>\n While no intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or major new hardware were prominently shown in released images (unlike some past parades), Kim used the event to underscore his commitment to advanced weaponry. He vowed to accelerate development of submarine-launched ICBMs, AI-driven attack systems, unmanned drones, anti-satellite weapons, and an expanded tactical nuclear arsenal targeting South Korea specifically.<\/p>\n Kim declared that recent years\u2019 rapid advancements in nuclear and missile technology had \u201cpermanently cemented\u201d North Korea\u2019s status as a nuclear weapons state, enshrined in its constitution. \u201cIt is our party\u2019s firm will to further expand and strengthen our national nuclear power, and thoroughly exercise its status as a nuclear state,\u201d he stated, according to KCNA. \u201cWe will focus on projects to increase the number of nuclear weapons and expand nuclear operational means.\u201d<\/p>\n Hard Line on South Korea: No Reconciliation, Only Destruction if Provoked<\/strong><\/p>\n Kim\u2019s rhetoric toward South Korea was uncompromising. He labeled Seoul the \u201cmost hostile entity\u201d and ruled out any engagement, saying North Korea has \u201cabsolutely no business dealing with South Korea\u201d and would \u201cpermanently exclude\u201d it from the category of compatriots. Dismissing recent South Korean overtures as \u201cclumsily deceptive and crude,\u201d Kim warned that if South Korea continues \u201cobnoxious behavior,\u201d Pyongyang could \u201cinitiate arbitrary action.\u201d<\/p>\n Most alarmingly, he asserted that North Korea \u201ccan completely destroy\u201d South Korea if its security is threatened, adding that \u201cSouth Korea\u2019s complete collapse cannot be ruled out\u201d under certain conditions. This language echoes Kim\u2019s 2024 declaration scrapping peaceful reunification goals and redesignating the South as a permanent enemy state\u2014a shift analysts attribute to frustration over stalled diplomacy, joint U.S.-South Korean military drills, and Seoul\u2019s alignment with Washington.<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Unification Ministry responded by calling the statements \u201cregrettable,\u201d vowing to pursue \u201cpatient\u201d efforts for peace despite the hostility. Seoul and its allies view such threats as bluster intended to deter perceived aggression, but they underscore the fragile armistice on the Korean Peninsula.<\/p>\n Conditional Olive Branch to Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n In contrast to his blanket rejection of Seoul, Kim offered a conditional pathway to the United States. He stated there is \u201cno reason why we cannot get along well with the United States\u201d if Washington discards its \u201chostile policy\u201d and respects North Korea\u2019s nuclear status as stipulated in its constitution. Prospects for improved ties, he emphasized, \u201cdepend entirely on the attitude of the U.S. side\u201d\u2014whether \u201cpeaceful coexistence or eternal confrontation.\u201d<\/p>\n This messaging appears calibrated for the Trump administration, which has previously engaged Kim directly (via summits in 2018\u20132019) but saw talks collapse over sanctions relief and denuclearization demands. Kim\u2019s call for the U.S. to drop denuclearization preconditions aligns with Pyongyang\u2019s long-standing position: it will negotiate as a nuclear state, not toward giving up its arsenal.<\/p>\n Analysts note the timing\u2014amid U.S. military focus on the Middle East and Iran nuclear talks\u2014could be an attempt to reinsert North Korea into global security discussions. However, U.S. officials have historically insisted on verifiable denuclearization as a prerequisite for major concessions.<\/p>\n Regional and Global Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n The statements heighten concerns in Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, where officials are already planning expanded spring military exercises to counter North Korean threats. South Korean intelligence recently assessed that Kim\u2019s daughter may hold a senior role in the \u201cMissile Administration,\u201d signaling continuity in aggressive nuclear policy across generations.<\/p>\n For the Global South\u2014including nations like South Sudan that Juba Global News Network serves\u2014the rhetoric raises fears of proliferation risks and diverted diplomatic attention from other crises. Any escalation on the Korean Peninsula could disrupt global supply chains, energy markets, and humanitarian efforts.<\/p>\n As Pyongyang marches forward with its nuclear buildup, the world faces a familiar dilemma: how to respond to threats without provoking the very conflict they seek to prevent. Kim\u2019s words suggest diplomacy remains possible\u2014but only on his terms.<\/p>\n By: Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/strong> Pyongyang, North Korea \u2013 February 26, 2026 \u2013 In a fiery closing address to the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers\u2019 Party of Korea (WPK), North Korean lea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,871],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-north-korea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6292"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22352,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292\/revisions\/22352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_3215.jpeg\")
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