Kim Says North Korea Ready to Mobilize Nuclear Forces

By Staff, Agencies

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un said his country is ready to mobilize its nuclear war deterrent.

Speaking at a Korean War anniversary event, Kim added that the country was "fully ready for any military confrontation" with the US, state news agency KCNA reported.

The comments come amid concern that North Korea could be preparing a seventh nuclear test.

The US warned last month that Pyongyang could conduct such a test at any time.

North Korea's most recent nuclear test was in 2017. However, tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula.

The US special representative to North Korea Sung Kim claimed that North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year - 31 compared to 25 during the whole of its last record-breaking year, 2019.

Kim underlined that nuclear threats from the US required North Korea to achieve the "urgent historical task" of beefing up its self-defense.

The US had misrepresented North Korea's regular military exercises as provocations, he added.

Kim also appeared to address reports that South Korea is moving to revive a plan to counter the North Korean nuclear threat by mounting precautionary strikes in the event of an imminent attack.