Kim Jong-Un Ready For War Or Peace? North Korean Leader Shows Willingness For Dialogue With South But Also Preparedness For War

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, delivered his annual New Year’s speech. Even while stating he was ready for peace talks with South Korea, Kim boldly proclaimed his preparedness for war “against any invasive outsiders and provocateurs.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a stern warning during his New Year’s speech on Friday that he is absolutely ready to go to war against “invasive” outsiders. He additionally called for increasing his government’s “political and military might” in the New Year. However, in the same speech, the leader of the isolated communist country indicated his willingness to for negotiations with his southern neighbor, South Korea, for a peaceful Korean peninsula, reported HNGN.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong-un expressed a willingness to work toward reconciliation with South Korea.

“We are willing to have talks in an open-minded manner with anyone who wants peace and unification. South Korea should honor the spirit of the inter-Korean agreement in August. Seoul should refrain from doing acts that hurt the conciliatory mood.”

This is interesting, because Kim has snubbed his southern neighbor’s numerous attempts at holding peace talks. Kim or his deputies found innovative reasons to reject attending the talks.

As a response to the North Korean leader’s speech, South Korea’s foreign ministry said it was open to talks, reported Sky News. Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency managed to get a quote from an unnamed South Korean government official.

“North Korea should note that we are seeking to develop inter-Korean relations and lay the groundwork for peaceful unification.”

Despite these talks of peace, in his annual address Kim proclaimed he is prepared to launch a “holy war of justice.”

“We will continue to work patiently to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional stability. But if invasive outsiders and provocateurs touch us even slightly, we will not be forgiving in the least and sternly answer with a merciless, holy war of justice.”

During his brief 30-minute televised address to the nation, Kim spoke about the urgent need to increase the “political and military might” of North Korea in “every way.” Extolling the virtues of his loyalists, as well as the “tremendous military muscle” of his country, Kim said the following.

“The year 2015 was a year of gigantic struggle recorded with significant events and eye-opening successes and a year of victory and glory that strikingly demonstrated the dignity and might of socialist Korea.”

Kim Jong-un chose the occasion to directly imply that his country was a nuclear power, as well as the one to possess a hydrogen bomb.

“We managed to become a great nuclear power capable of defending the independence and national dignity of our homeland by mighty nuclear and hydrogen strikes.”

While the world collectively doubts the capability of the relatively tiny nation to develop the H-bomb, apart from the country’s claims of developing miracle vaccines, experts on the region have expressed their concern about the provocative statements made by the leader, especially if he intends to bolster relation with its Southern neighbor and its closest ally, China, reported RT.

Kim Jong-un is the first secretary of the Worker’s Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK, and the supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), reports the Blitz. Though the North Korean leader acknowledges January 1 as the first day of the year, the country doesn’t recognize the Gregorian or Western calendar. The country maintains that it is Juche 105. The calculation is based on the age of Kim Jong-un’s grandfather’s age. The Juche calendar was introduced in 1997, and is based on Kim Il-sung’s date of birth: April 15, 1912. Kim Jong-un took over the reigns of North Korea in 2011, and has made several propagandist amendments.

[Photo by KNS/Getty Images]