SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned again that the North could preemptively use its nuclear weapons if threatened, as he praised his top army officials for a military parade in the capital, Pyongyang, last week.
Kim expressed "firm will" to continue developing his nuclear-armed military so it could "preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves, including ever-escalating nuclear threats from hostile forces, if necessary," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday.
The news agency said Kim called his military officials to praise their work during Monday's parade, in which the North showcased the biggest weapons in its nuclear arsenal, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the United States. The North also rolled out a variety of shorter-range solid-fuel missiles designed to be fired from land vehicles or submarines, which pose a growing threat to South Korea and Japan.
The news agency didn't say when Kim's meeting with military brass took place.
The parade marking the 90th anniversary of North Korea's army came as Kim revives nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of his country as a nuclear power and remove crippling economic sanctions.
Speaking to thousands of troops and spectators mobilized for the parade, Kim vowed to develop his nuclear forces at the "fastest possible speed" and threatened to use them if provoked. He said his nuclear weapons would "never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent" in situations in which the North faces external threats to its "fundamental interests."
Kim's comments suggested he would continue a provocative run in weapons testing to dial up pressure on Washington and Seoul. South Korea will inaugurate a new conservative government in May that could take a harder line on Pyongyang following the engagement polices of outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in that produced few results.
Kim's threat to use his nuclear forces to protect his country's ambiguously defined "fundamental interests" possibly portends an escalatory nuclear doctrine that could pose greater concern for South Korea, Japan and the United States, experts say.
North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of weapons launches so far this year, including its first full-range test of an ICBM since 2017, while Kim exploits a favorable environment to push forward its weapons program as the U.N. Security Council remains divided and effectively paralyzed over Russia's war in Ukraine.
There are also signs that North Korea is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground that was last active in 2017. Some experts say the North may try to conduct a new test sometime between the inauguration of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol on May 10 and his planned summit with President Joe Biden on May 21 to maximize its political effect.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said the United States was aware of reports that North Korea could be preparing to conduct a nuclear test, which she said would be deeply destabilizing for the region and undermine the global nonproliferation regime.
"We urge the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing activity and instead engage in serious and sustained dialogue," she said, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.