North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to make his country’s nuclear capability irreversible while keeping a confrontational posture toward South Korea, which he described as the ‘most hostile,’ state media reported.
In an address Monday to the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim blamed the United States for global ‘state terrorism and aggression,’ an apparent reference to the conflict in the Middle East, and said North Korea would take a more assertive role in opposing Washington amid rising anti-American sentiment. He did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name, saying adversaries may ‘choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence’ and that North Korea is prepared to respond either way.
The speech repeated themes from last month’s Workers’ Party Congress, where Kim criticized Seoul but left open the possibility of talks with Washington, urging the U.S. to drop demands that Pyongyang denuclearize before negotiations begin.
State media said the Assembly approved a revised constitution at the close of its two-day session but provided no details. Observers had anticipated changes to formally label South Korea a permanent enemy and to remove language about shared nationhood, consistent with Kim’s earlier statement that the regime would abandon the long-standing goal of peaceful reunification.
Analysts interpret Kim’s escalation toward the South as reflecting his view that Seoul no longer serves as an effective intermediary with Washington and may now be an obstacle to North Korea’s drive for a more assertive regional role. Pyongyang has also intensified efforts to limit South Korean cultural and linguistic influence as part of a broader tightening of domestic control.
Kim expressed pride in the rapid expansion of the North’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, calling that buildup the right response to future threats and to what he called hegemonic actions by ‘gangsterlike’ imperialists, a term Pyongyang uses for the United States and its allies. He said the nation’s dignity and interests can only be guaranteed by overwhelming power and pledged to ‘consolidate our absolutely irreversible status as a nuclear power’ while aggressively countering hostile provocations.
Pyongyang has largely suspended substantive dialogue with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s second summit with Trump collapsed in 2019 amid U.S.-led sanctions. In recent years he has prioritized ties with Russia, with reports that North Korea sent troops and military equipment to support Moscow in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and technology.
Some analysts believe that if the war in Ukraine winds down, Kim may choose a more cautious approach toward the United States to keep the door open for future talks aimed at sanctions relief and tacit recognition of North Korea’s nuclear status. Others warn that recent U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran and the killing of a former Iranian leader could have raised Pyongyang’s bar for returning to negotiations.
