Kim Jong Un vows ‘military countermeasures’ ahead of New Year’s address

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for “offensive political, diplomatic and military countermeasures” in order to safeguard the country during a meeting of the ruling Worker’s Party, state media reported Tuesday.

The comments came ahead of an end-of-year deadline that Pyongyang has imposed for Washington to come up with a new proposal in its nuclear negotiations, threatening a “new way” forward if its conditions are not met.

Kim advised party members to prepare “positive and offensive political, diplomatic and military countermeasures for firmly preserving the sovereignty and security of the country, intensifying the combat against anti-socialist and non-socialist acts,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported.

Kim made the remarks Monday, the third day of a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, according to KCNA. He also presented a seven-hour status report on “state building, economic development and building of the armed forces” at the meeting and called for the ruling party to turn into “a militant party full of vitality and vigor.”

The North Korean leader is scheduled to deliver his annual New Year’s Day address Wednesday, an event that many observers will be watching closely for signs of a policy shift toward a more confrontational stance with the United States and South Korea.

Talks with Washington have been at an impasse since a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in February in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended abruptly without an agreement. Both sides remain apart on issues such as easing international sanctions that have been imposed on North Korea and on a timetable for proceeding with denuclearization.

The most recent working-level talks were held in October in Sweden, but little progress was made as North Korea accused the United States of coming to the table “empty-handed.”

Pyongyang resumed weapons tests throughout the latter half of 2019, launching several short-range ballistic missiles, including its first submarine-launched missile and a version of the highly maneuverable Russian Iskander.

Earlier this month, the North carried out a pair of what it called “crucial” tests at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station, which analysts suggested could be a long-range rocket engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. It also warned that it would be up to the Trump administration to determine “what Christmas gift it will select to get.”

Christmas Day passed without any new provocations, but tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, and Washington and Seoul are on alert.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States is watching North Korea “very closely” and is hoping that it will choose a peaceful course going forward.

“We’re watching what they’re doing here in the closing days of this year, and we hope that they’ll make a decision that will lead to a path of peace and not one toward confrontation,” Pompeo said during an appearance on Fox News.

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