North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday there will be no more war as the country’s nuclear weapons guarantee its safety and future despite unabated outside pressure and military threats, Reuters reported, citing state media.
Kim made the remarks as he celebrated the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which fell on July 27, with a reception for veterans, the official KCNA news agency said.
The country developed nuclear weapons to win “absolute strength” to stave off another armed conflict, Kim said in a speech carried by the news agency, emphasizing the defensive nature of the programs.
“Now we are capable of defending ourselves in the face of any form of high intensity pressure and military threats from imperialist and hostile forces,” he said.
“Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defensive nuclear deterrent, there will no longer be war, and our country’s safety and future will be firmly guaranteed forever.”
The speech came amid stalled talks aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sanctions relief from the US.
Kim and US President Donald Trump met in Hanoi last year for a summit that left nuclear talks at a standstill. The pair had met three times since June 2018 but made little progress towards denuclearization.
Since those talks broke down, North Korea has conducted several tests of ballistic missiles.
Kim’s sister recently said another summit with the United States would only be useful for Washington at this point, but added that her country had no intention of “threatening the US”.