The country\u2019s leader did soften his tone when it came to neighboring South Korea, though.<\/b>
\nSEOUL \u2014 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for urgent talks with South Korea to make the Winter Olympics next month a success, even while repeating claims that he could strike the US with a nuclear bomb if necessary.
In an annual New Year\u2019s day speech, Kim said that \u201cwe sincerely hope the games will be successful.\u201d He said that both Koreas should seek to resolve problems among themselves rather than seek help from outside of the region.
\u201cIt\u2019s about time that the North and the South sit down and seriously discuss how to improve inter-Korean relations by ourselves and dramatically open up,\u201d Kim said on Monday. Referring to the Olympics, he said later: \u201cWe\u2019re willing to take necessary steps including sending our delegation,\u00a0and for this, the authorities from the North and South could urgently meet.\u201d
President Moon Jae-in welcomed Kim\u2019s comments and repeated that South Korea is ready for talks without conditions, spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
\u201cThe Blue House will cooperate closely with the international community to address the North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner, while sitting down with the North to find the resolution to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and bring peace,\u201d Park said.
The remarks raise hopes for dialogue after months of tensions that have seen President Trump\u2019s administration warn of military action to prevent Kim from threatening the US with nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council last month approved its strongest sanctions yet on North Korea, a move that Pyongyang described as an \u201cact of war.\u201d
Moon had repeatedly called for North Korea to join the Olympic games in Pyeongchang, about\u00a050 miles from the North Korean border. Since taking office in May, he has pushed for dialogue with Kim\u2019s regime, a shift from the conservative government that he replaced.
Kim\u2019s apparent olive branch risks creating tensions in the US-South Korea alliance, according to Yun Duk-min, a former chancellor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
\u201cWith South Korea also participating in the international sanctions campaign, it\u2019s not easy for Moon to come forward and accept it before North Korea shows sincerity with denuclearization,\u201d Yun said. \u201cInter-Korean relations will start to improve more fundamentally only if there\u2019s a change in the US-North Korea dynamics.\u201d
Kim\u2019s speech shows North Korea sees the Olympics as a way to improve ties with its southern neighbor, the state-run Institute for National Security Strategy, which is affiliated with\u00a0South Korea\u2019s National Intelligence Service, said in an e-mailed statement.
North Korea also views its participation in the games as a way to help the South Korean government, the institute said. In return, it may ask South Korea to lift its economic sanctions, resume economic cooperation and provide humanitarian aid.
While reaching out to South Korea, Kim also repeated claims that he could hit anywhere in the US with a nuclear weapon and called for mass production of nuclear warheads. He said North Korea\u2019s nuclear deterrent was \u201cirreversible\u201d and that it would prevent Trump from starting a war.
\u201cIt\u2019s reality, not a threat, that the nuclear button is always on my desk,\u201d Kim said. \u201cThe US can never start a war against myself and our nation now.\u201d
Asked about the comment, Trump said: \u201cWe\u2019ll see, we\u2019ll see.\u201d
Kim\u2019s Jan. 1 speeches have previously set the direction for tensions on the Korean peninsula. A year ago, he said North Korea was in its \u201clast stage\u201d of preparations to test fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, and he ended up firing three of them.
Besides those tests, North Korea also detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear device and fired more than a dozen rockets. South Korea assessed that the most recent launch in late November of a new ICBM, its largest yet, could potentially reach Washington, though additional analysis was needed to determine whether it was capable of re-entry into the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.
Last year was also notable for a war of words between Kim and Trump, who repeatedly threatened military action to stop the rogue state\u2019s nuclear program. Trump has nicknamed Kim \u201cLittle Rocket Man\u201d and referred to his weight, while the North Korean leader has called the president a \u201cdotard\u201d and warned of the \u201chighest level of hard-line countermeasure in history.\u201d
Even so, Trump has also floated the idea of friendship with Kim on occasion, and has called on him to \u201cmake a deal\u201d on North Korea\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.<\/p>\n