The Guardian:
North Korea will not use nuclear weapons against other nations unless its sovereignty is threatened, and will work toward nonproliferation and global stability, leader Kim Jong-un has said, according to state media.
“It is our party’s goal to build a peaceful world free from war and it is the constant stand of our party … to struggle for regional and global peace and security,” Kim said.
The comments, reported by the state-controlled Korea Central News Agency on Sunday, were made at the 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party, a gathering organised by the country to select new leaders and create an agenda for the country over the coming years.
Pyongyang would not use nuclear weapons against any nation unless “its sovereignty is encroached upon by any hostile force with nuclear weapons”, Kim said. North Korea will also “faithfully fulfil its obligation for nonproliferation and strive for the global denuclearisation”.
Despite the apparent overture to foreign powers, Kim said that the nation would “permanently” follow its policy of pursuing economic and military development in tandem, known as the “Byungjin Line”.
Observers had anticipated Kim would use the congress to propose talks with rivals to exploit what the dictator considers to be increased leverage as a nuclear power.
North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and followed with a satellite launch in February that was seen by outside governments as a banned test for long-range missile technology, earning worldwide condemnation and tougher UN sanctions.
The North responded to the punitive measures, and also the annual US-South Korean military drills in March and April, by firing a series of missiles and artillery into the sea. It also claimed advancements in developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and combined them with threats of pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul.
But analysts took Kim’s comments to congress with a pinch of salt.
“North Korea has recently been seeking a peace treaty to end the Korean war,” said Bruce Bennett, senior defence analyst at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in the US. “The purpose of this is to lay the groundwork for the US to withdraw from the Korean peninsula, at which point the north would be able to attack the South.”
Bennett said that this would allow Kim to consolidate power at a time when he faces instability at home. “Kim Jong-un says he won’t use nuclear weapons unless he is under threat, but the entire purpose of congress is to consolidate his power. He is under threat from inside now.”
