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The leader outlined his policy goals for the next five years and warned that with advancing weaponry his country could cause 'complete destruction'
07:00, Thu, Feb 26, 2026 Updated: 07:02, Thu, Feb 26, 2026
Kim Jong Un delivered the chilling warning at congress (Image: Getty)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has delivered the chilling warning that his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if it were threatened.
Korean state media said on Thursday this warning reiterates his refusal to engage with Seoul. In a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five years, he left the door open to dialogue with the US.
In recent years, the leader has sharpened his rhetoric toward Seoul and underscored his rejection of inter-Korean diplomacy. According to experts, it most likely doesn’t presage military clashes, but is intended to advance a broader effort to assert a more forceful regional role backed by Kim’s nuclear arsenal and ties with Moscow and Beijing.
Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nuclear-armed military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, targeting South Korea, as reported by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim said the accelerated development of his nuclear and missile program in recent years “permanently cemented” the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state, and called for the United States to discard what he perceives as “hostile” policies toward the North if it wants to resume long-stalled dialogue.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it was regrettable that the North continues to define inter-Korean relations as hostile and that Seoul will “patiently” pursue efforts to stabilize peace.
The country's most important political event, the Workers' Party Congress began last Thursday in Pyongyang. KCNS said the North staged a military parade in the capital Wednesday as it wrapped up the congress, previously held in 2016 and 2021.
Kim Jun Un said in a speech his forces were capable of “immediately and thoroughly retaliating” against any hostile threat. He watched the parade with his increasingly prominent daughter — believed to be around 13 years old and named Kim Ju Ae.
It is not clear whether he showcased his largest weapons, including ICBMs potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
The leader warned of the country's capability to 'completely destroy' (Image: Getty)
Kim’s comments at the congress were widely anticipated as he has been issuing increasingly hard-line views toward South Korea since 2024, when he discarded the North’s long-standing goal of a peaceful reunification between the war-divided Koreas and declared the South as a permanent enemy.
However, analysts expected Kim to take a more measured approach toward Washington to preserve the possibility of future dialogue, with the long-term aim of securing U.S. sanctions relief and tacit recognition as a nuclear state.
Kim has recently been prioritizing Russia in his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology. But it would make sense to keep his options open as the war in Ukraine could wind down, potentially making North Korea less valuable to Moscow, experts say.
Kim said in a report wrapping up the congress, his government was maintaining the “toughest stance” against Washington, but added there was “no reason we cannot get along” with the Americans if they withdrew their supposedly “hostile policy” toward the North. North Korea often uses the term to describe U.S.-led pressure and sanctions over Kim’s nuclear ambitions.
His comments aligned with North Korea’s previous position calling for Washington to abandon its demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for reviving talks. North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term.
The prospects of U.S.-North Korea relations “depends entirely on the U.S. attitude,” Kim said. “Whether it’s peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, we are ready for either, and the choice is not ours to make.”
He watched the parade with his daughter (Image: Getty)
At the congress, Kim derided liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s calls for engagement as a deception, accusing successive governments in Seoul of seeking the North’s collapse. He said there is “absolutely nothing to discuss” with an enemy state and that the North would “permanently exclude” the South from the notion of a shared nation.
“As long as the Republic of Korea cannot escape its geopolitical condition of sharing a border with us, the only way it can live safely is to abandon all ties with us and refrain from provoking us,” he said, disdainfully referring to South Korea’s formal name.
Tensions have potential to further rise next month when South Korea hosts its annual military exercises with the United States.
At the latest congress, Kim set new goals to advance his nuclear forces in the next five years while calling for faster production of nuclear warheads and a broader range of delivery systems.
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Emphasizing naval capabilities, Kim called for ICBMs that could be fired from underwater platforms, indicating potential plans to fit those weapons on the nuclear-propelled submarine being built. He called for developing artificial intelligence-equipped attack drones, stronger electronic warfare capabilities to disable enemy command centers, more advanced reconnaissance satellites and unspecified weapons to strike enemy satellites.
He also said the military will deploy more nuclear-capable artillery systems against South Korea in phases each year while speeding up efforts to “fortify” the inter-Korean border.
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