During his inspection of an army base, Kim said that his country would "use without hesitation all the offensive forces it has possessed including nuclear weapons" if the enemy attempted to use armed force to encroach on its sovereignty, Pyongyang's state-run Korea Central News Agency reported on Friday.
His florid verbal threat came after Yoon's remarks at a ceremony celebrating Armed Forces Day on Tuesday. Yoon warned that any North Korean attempt to use nuclear weapons would result in the regime's end, vowing a "resolute and overwhelming" response from South Korea, backed by its strong alliance with the U.S.
"The puppet Yoon bragged about overwhelming counteraction of military muscle at the doorstep of the state possessed of nuclear weapons and it was a great irony that caused the suspicion of being an abnormal man," he said.
This rare tirade, directly targeting the South Korean leader, marked the first such instance in about two years since July 2022. The North has always referred to South Korea as the "puppet regime" and has never used its official name.
