(FiveNation.com)- For the first time in nearly three weeks, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un finally emerged from hiding on Wednesday to attend the 69th anniversary celebrating the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Kim had not made any public appearances for over two weeks before Wednesday’s event, making that Kim’s longest absence since last November.
But he was back on Wednesday, delivering a speech in Pyongyang’s commemoration of North Korea’s “Victory Day.”
North Korea’s “Victory Day” celebrations included fireworks, military flyovers, and an array of performances.
But the most explosive fireworks came from Kim’s address.
During his remarks, Kim said he was prepared to use North Korea’s nuclear arsenal against the United States and South Korea should they dare to attack the North. He vowed that any strike from the South would result in its annihilation.
He told the crowd that his armed forces were prepared for any crisis and its nuclear arsenal was “fully prepared to mobilize its absolute strength faithfully, accurately, and promptly for its mission.”
In his saber-rattling address, Kim accused the United States of causing “the most serious harm” to North Korea in modern history. He warned that the US is still engaging in “dangerous hostile acts” and assured the crowd that North Korea stands ready to deal with “any military clash with the United States.”
So far this year, North Korea has conducted at least 18 missile launches and appears ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test imminently.
After attacking the US, Kim turned his threats toward the South, issuing a stern warning to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been much more hawkish than his predecessor Moon Jae-in.
In recent months, Yoon and his administration have openly discussed conducting pre-emptive strikes against the North if they detect an imminent threat.
In his remarks, Kim described these discussions as a “very dangerous self-destructive act” since his regime “possesses the absolute weapon they fear most.” He warned that any pre-emptive strike would be swiftly stopped “by a powerful force,” promising that Yoon’s government and his military “will be annihilated.”
