FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 8th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, at the party's headquarters, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on December 31, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country would not hesitate to use all of its military power to wipe out enemies if any of them used force against it as he marked the anniversary of the founding of its military, state media reported on Friday.
Kim made the comments during a visit to the defence ministry on Thursday, rallying soldiers to uphold the ideology of the ruling Workers' Party and defend the country with their lives, KCNA news agency reported.
"If enemies try to use force against our country, we will make the bold decision to change history and not hesitate to use all our super power to wipe them out," KCNA quoted him as saying.
Kim repeated his vow to never hold dialogue or negotiations with South Korea, which he said was his country's "enemy No. 1," and said the policy of powerful military readiness was the only way to ensure peace and security for North Korea, KCNA said.
Kim declared at a major meeting of the ruling party at the end of 2023 that peaceful reunification is impossible and his country was making a policy change on how it deals with the South, in a major shift redefining its ties with Seoul.
The KCNA report said Kim made the visit to the defence ministry with his "respected daughter," indicating he was accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae, who is expected by analysts to play a possible future role in the country's leadership.
North Korea has marked the foundation of its military on Feb. 8 and last year held a large military parade at midnight showcasing its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles.
State media made no mention of a similar large-scale event this year but said there was a parade of an honour guard for Kim at the defence ministry and that he attended a banquet with military commanders and soldiers to celebrate the anniversary.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Chris Reese and Jamie Freed)
