Kim’s comments follow a statement from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who warned that any nuclear aggression from North Korea would result in the regime's collapse due to an "overwhelming" response from the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Speaking during South Korea's Armed Forces Day earlier this week, President Yoon unveiled the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, capable of striking targets in the North, underscoring the strength of the U.S.-South Korea military partnership. Yoon emphasized that any attack from the North would be met with a decisive response.

In a swift rebuttal, Kim Jong Un mocked Yoon, referring to him as "abnormal" and dismissing South Korea's conventional weapons as inferior to North Korea's nuclear capabilities. Kim reiterated that North Korea would deploy "all offensive forces, including nuclear weapons," if provoked.

The war of words comes amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as North Korea continues its missile tests while South Korea holds joint military drills with U.S. forces. North Korea has also recently revealed its nuclear facilities and is reportedly expanding its military capabilities, heightening concerns in the region.

Observers anticipate that North Korea's parliament will soon formalize a two-state system on the Korean Peninsula, rejecting reconciliation with the South and solidifying new national borders. This move would further entrench the divide between the two nations.

Relations between the Koreas are at their most strained in years, with communication channels frozen since 2019, following the collapse of U.S.-North Korea diplomacy over Pyongyang's nuclear program. North Korea, which has conducted six underground nuclear tests, claims to possess sufficient fissile material to produce dozens of nuclear weapons.

Kim's regime adopted an escalatory nuclear doctrine in 2022, repeatedly threatening preemptive nuclear strikes. However, experts believe North Korea is unlikely to use nuclear weapons first, as its military remains significantly outmatched by the combined forces of the U.S. and South Korea. (ILKHA)