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
This comes two days after claiming to have tested a newly developed missile in a resumption of its weapons displays after a six-month lull.
The North hailed its new missiles as a “strategic weapon of great significance”, implying that they were being developed with an intent to arm them with nuclear warheads.
North Korea's angry reaction to the drills further diminishes South Korean hopes for improving bilateral ties, which rose after the North agreed to reopen long-stalled communication channels with the South in late July.
Kim made the comments in a message to President Xi Jinping congratulating him on the 100th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party
Kim Yo Jong’s blunt statement indicates that the diplomatic impasse over North Korea’s nuclear program is likely to continue unless the North suffers greater pandemic-related economic difficulties and needs urgent outside assistance
