North Korea now poses ‘credible’ nuclear threat to US

WEB DESK: The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has declared that his nation has transitioned from being a target of American military might to a power capable of posing a “credible nuclear threat” to the United States.

According to Reuters, addressing newly elected lawmakers on Monday, Kim framed the country’s expanding arsenal as an essential instrument of national security, asserting that Pyongyang is no longer a vulnerable state under constant menace.

He accused Washington of global “state terror and aggression,” suggesting that the presence of US nuclear-capable assets in the region necessitates a powerful deterrent.

Rejecting long-standing international pressure to disarm, the leader vowed that the North would never abandon its weapons, which he claimed have fostered scientific and economic growth despite crippling global sanctions.

A rejection of denuclearisation and rising regional tensions

In a direct rebuff to international diplomacy, Kim dismissed the “Libyan model” of economic incentives for disarmament, arguing that “hostile forces” were wrong to claim prosperity is impossible without denuclearisation.

This defiance has further strained relations on the peninsula, particularly as Kim labelled South Korea “the most hostile state” and flatly rejected Seoul’s recent peace proposals.

In response, the office of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung issued a statement warning that such rhetoric actively undermines efforts toward peaceful coexistence.

Having withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, North Korea continues to refine its ballistic missile technology, with experts believing its latest warheads are now capable of reaching the US mainland.