On the brink?: Now in his 13th year running North Korea, Kim is more aggressively testing the boundaries of what his adversaries will tolerate. — AFP
AFTER decades of empty threats, much of the world tunes out when North Korea vows to unleash destruction on its enemies. But in the past few months, some prominent American analysts began warning that Kim Jong Un may actually be serious about preparing for war.
Now in his 13th year running North Korea, Kim is more aggressively testing the boundaries of what his adversaries will tolerate. Backed by rapid progress in his nation’s nuclear capabilities and missile program, the 40-year-old dictator began 2024 by removing the goal of peaceful unification from North Korea’s constitution and declaring he had the right to “annihilate” South Korea.
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Ready for war
Chinese and North Korean artists performing during the opening ceremony of “North Korea-China Friendship Year” at the Pyongyang Grand Theatre in Pyongyang recently. — AFP
Kim meeting Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress of China, in Pyongyang, recently. — AP
Kim meeting Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last September. The North Korean leader is working to diversify his economy away from China, selling some of his artillery stockpiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine. — AFP
Kim speaking to his military officers after inspecting a large replica of Seoul during his visit to the Kim Jong Il University of Military and Politics. — Agencies
