Kim Jong-un Says North Korean Nukes 'Protecting Sovereignty' Amid US 'Threats'

Sputnik News

14:17 08.10.2017(updated 18:38 08.10.2017)

Amid US President Donald Trump's promises to "do what needs to be done" with regard to North Korea as "only one thing will work" hinting at a possible military action against Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un has praised the country's nuclear weapons as a means of "safeguarding peace" on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the country needs nuclear weapons to "protect destiny and sovereignty from the long-standing nuclear threats of the US imperialists."

He praised Pyongyang's nuclear weapons saying they help North Korea "safeguard peace" on the Korean Peninsula and in others parts of northeast Asia.

Addressing the Second Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on Saturday, Kim said as cited by the KCNA that Washington is attempting to strip North Korea of its sovereignty by "fabricating a series of 'sanctions resolutions" in the UN Security Council […] with their followers.

He also said that despite UNSC sanctions against Pyongyang over ballistic and nuclear missiles' launches, the North Korean economy has shown growth.

The newly released Kim statement comes after US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday, saying that "only one thing will work" with regard to Pyongyang as "talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid hasn't worked."

Trump's remark comes after he said US State Secretary Rex Tillerson is "wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," adding that "we'll do what has to be done."

In ratcheting up the warlike rhetoric, Trump previously vowed that the US will "totally destroy" the DPRK if required as a means to protect itself and its allies from the threat of a nuclear attack.

Meanwhile, earlier this week a Russian lawmaker, who has just returned from North Korea, claimed that Pyongyang is ready to test a missile capable of reaching the US western coast. The Pentagon responded by telling Sputnik that it is "closely" watching North Korea.

The North Korean nuclear and missile test issue has been aggravated in recent months as Pyongyang has held several rounds of missile launches and nuclear tests. The most recent one was conducted on September 15, when North Korea launched a ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the northern Pacific some 20 minutes after the launch.

On September 11, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted its toughest resolution yet against North Korea over its latest nuclear test and repeated missile launches. The move prompted harsh criticism from Pyongyang which subsequently vowed to use any means possible to retaliate against the United States.

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