North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the U.S. of contributing to increasing global tensions that could escalate into a "most destructive thermonuclear war," according to the state news agency Korean Central News Agency.
While speaking at a military exhibition in Pyongyang, he emphasized that the Korean peninsula has never been at greater risk for nuclear war, and prior negotiations with Washington have only made clear the U.S.' "aggressive and hostile" policy toward North Korea.
The statements come amid escalating tension between the U.S. and Russia as well as global backlash Kim has received for deploying more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the front lines in Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for comment via email. Newsweek also reached out to the White House press secretary and President-elect Donald Trump's transition team for comment via email outside normal business hours.
"The Korean peninsula has never been under such a critical situation as the present, in which there is a growing likelihood of a most destructive thermonuclear war breaking out amid the acutely dangerous confrontation between the belligerents," Kim said.
"We already did everything possible in the bilateral negotiations with the United States, and what we were eventually convinced of was not the superpower's will to co-exist with us but its domineering stand and unchangeably aggressive and hostile policy towards the DPRK."
In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the High Representative of the European Union, the U.S. spoke out against the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the increasing military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including the DPRK's export and Russia's unlawful procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles in breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), as well as Russia's use of these missiles and munitions against Ukraine," they said in the statement on the State Department's website.
"DPRK soldiers receiving or providing any training or other assistance related to the use of ballistic missiles or arms is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2270. We are also deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology from Russia to the DPRK in violation of the relevant UNSCRs. We urge the DPRK to stop providing assistance to Russia's war of aggression.
"We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to support Ukraine as it defends its freedom, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We are working with our international partners for a coordinated response to this new development."
U.S. relations with North Korea have not improved during Joe Biden's presidency, as his administration has reached out to Pyongyang multiple times with no response.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused North Korea of "unlawful and reckless missile launches, including the launch of a long-range ballistic missile over Japan in October" and added that the U.S. was deepening its trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea to "deter and, if necessary, defend against aggression."
North Korea has not commented on Trump's reelection since his victory. He was the first U.S. president to visit the country in 2019 after meeting Kim for the first time a year earlier.
During his first term and after, Trump said that he "largely solved" the tension between the U.S. and North Korea and emphasized that he got along well with Kim.
Trump has also said that he believes Kim would "like to see" him back in office and that he misses Trump, although North Korea denied the statements.
North Korea seemed to be preparing for upcoming conflicts with the West as it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in about a year in October.
Kim has also said that he wants North Korea to develop its "strategic deterrence" to combat the U.S.' nuclear arsenal and emphasized the need to further modernize and fortify the strategic missile bases.
As for Trump's future relations with North Korea, Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford, previously told Newsweek that Trump said in his rallies that he would offer to meet with Kim, but North Korea has not referred to U.S. relations during Trump's first term as fondly as the president-elect.
"Ultimately, North Korea even went as far as to make clear that irrespective of the outcome of the election, Pyongyang's worldview towards the U.S. would not change: Washington remains a 'hostile' power pursuing—with its allies—a 'hostile policy' towards the DPRK," Howell said.
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