According to state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons against South Korea if provoked.
This statement came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned that any nuclear attack from the North would destroy its regime.
Kim’s recent visit to a nuclear development site marks growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim declared that North Korea would respond with nuclear weapons immediately if South Korea violated its national authority.
During a recent military parade, President Yoon showcased South Korea’s new ballistic missile among other defense measures as a preventive measure.
The U.S. flew a B-1B bomber over an Armed Forces Day ceremony on Tuesday near Seoul, in an apparent show of solidarity.
The Korean War ended in 1953 with a ceasefire agreement, historically leaving both countries technically at war.
North Korea intensified its nuclear program and declared South Korea its primary enemy.
In response, South Korea is strengthening its weaponry, including developing missiles that can break through North Korean bunkers. President Yoon promised a strong military response, with U.S. support, if North Korea uses nuclear weapons.
