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Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump held talks three times during the latter’s first term to dial down long-standing tensions between the two countries, before the talks collapsed in 2018.
Trump’s presidency has raised speculation about chances of diplomatic talks between US and North Korea. (Reuters/File)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed that he will implement the “toughest” anti-US policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as the American president, marking a potential escalation in tensions between the two countries.
During the annual year-end general meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea that ended on Friday, Kim said the military cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan has expanded into an aggressive nuclear military bloc, Yonhap news agency reported citing state media.
The North Korean leader called the US “the most reactionary state” and “unwaveringly adhering to anti-communism”. He said the “strategy for the toughest anti-US counteraction to be launched aggressively” for North Korea’s long-term national interests and security.
He also ordered the enhancement of North Korean military capabilities “for fighting a war” to meet the demands of modern warfare and the ever-changing war scenario.
“Kim Jong Un clarified the strategic and tactical policies for more reliably guaranteeing the bolstering of war deterrence for self-defence through accelerated progress of defence science and technology and radical development of the defence industry to cope with the ever-increasing military provocations of the US and its vassal force,” said North Korea’s state-run KCNA.
What Trump’s Return Means For North Korea?
Trump’s return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North’s nuclear programme.
However, experts believe a quick resumption of diplomacy between Kim and Trump is unlikely as the upcoming US President would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine has also posed a challenge for diplomatic efforts.
The previous meetings between Trump and Kim had not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction, but they developed personal connections. Trump once famously said he and Kim “fell in love.” Their talks eventually collapsed in 2019, as they wrangled over US-led sanctions on the North.
Since the collapse of the talks, North Korea has sharply increased the pace of its weapons testing activities to build more reliable nuclear missiles targeting the US and its allies as tensions escalated particularly under the Biden administration.
The US and South Korea have responded by expanding their military bilateral drills and also trilateral ones involving Japan, drawing strong rebukes from the North, which views such US-led exercises as invasion rehearsals. These rivalries were exacerbated with North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia.
Last month, Kim said that his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward his country and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats.
(with inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Pyongyang, North Korea
