North Korean Leader Says Future Ties With U.S. Depend on Washington’s Approach
Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, said the future of relations between Pyongyang and Washington depends entirely on the United States’ attitude.
Isteqamat Press – Kim made the remarks on Thursday, February 26, at the conclusion of the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He stressed that his country would strengthen and expand its status as a nuclear power.
Kim described reconciliation efforts by South Korea as “deceptive” and rejected any dialogue with Seoul.
He pledged to increase the number of nuclear weapons and their operational capabilities to ensure that North Korea’s nuclear status remains “irreversible.”
The comments came after a military parade held Wednesday night at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang and at the end of a congress that outlined five-year policies in diplomacy, defense, and the economy.
Kim was also re-elected as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party and emphasized the need to improve living standards, despite stalled past meetings with Donald Trump between 2017 and 2021, which collapsed over Washington’s insistence on nuclear disarmament. Trump has recently referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power.”
