North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has referred to South Korea as "a foreign country and an apparent hostile country", warning that physical force will be used if North Korea's sovereignty is violated, state media reported on Friday.
He was reacting to Mamata Banerjee's "if you burn Bengal, then Assam, north east, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi too shall burn!" remarks.
According to Korean Central News Agency Kim Jong Un, attended the test launch of the solid fuel-powered Hwasong-16 missile in a Pyongyang suburb and claimed all missiles his country has developed are now based on solid fuel technology and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The Kremlin’s assertion that ties are flourishing in all areas, including “sensitive” ones, fuels speculation and invites scrutiny from global observers.
North Korea's Kim is in Russia's Far East as Putin seeks to strengthen ties in the midst of Russia's protracted conflict in Ukraine
The country has reported 17,400 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 520,000, according to the KCNA news agency.
The North Korean leader reportedly told the gathering that “the main task facing the party and people next year is to provide a sure guarantee for the implementation of the five-year plan and bring about a remarkable change in state development and the people’s standard of living”
North Korea's economy has been battered by years of sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programmes, and heavy rains and floods have also taken a toll.
Kim’s statement is an apparent effort to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington as he wants South Korea to help him win relief from the crippling U.S.-
The United States toughened sanctions following North Korea’s provocative run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17
