On-site Guidance at Nuclear Material Production Facilities
Experts: "A Message Aimed at Negotiations with the U.S."
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un has stated that he will not respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's signal to resume dialogue. He also maintained a hardline stance on infinitely strengthening nuclear readiness.
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency=Yonhap News Agency
On the 29th, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Chairman Kim conducted on-site guidance at nuclear material production facilities and nuclear weapons research institutes, specifically understanding the current status of nuclear material production, future plans, and the 2025 plans for the nuclear weapons research institute. The exact date of Kim’s visit was not disclosed.
During the guidance, Kim said, "Long-term confrontation with the world’s most unstable and most cunning hostile countries is inevitable." However, by not naming specific hostile countries, he moderated the tone of the message aimed at the United States.
Kim stated that currently, "To prepare for 'threats' and 'new and prospective security risks' and to guarantee the nation's sovereignty, interests, and right to development, the 'continuous strengthening of the nuclear shield' is 'indispensable,'" adding, "Evolving our country's nuclear readiness without limits is a firm political and military stance we must uphold, an unchanging noble duty and responsibility."
He also said, "The absolute power to thoroughly suppress enemies and proactively control the situation is not any declaration or slogan but the actual stockpiling and exponential increase of available physical force," and instructed, "We must further raise the current heightened momentum, exceed the nuclear material production plan for weapons-grade material, and achieve groundbreaking results in strengthening the country's nuclear shield."
Kim claimed that nuclear technology capability is "an incomparable pride of our Party, state, and people and a symbol of our proud spirit," and argued, "Peace through strength and security through strength are the most fair and just methods, choices, and principles of our struggle."
He also emphasized that the five-year tasks presented at this year’s 8th Party Congress for the nuclear weapons research and production sector must be perfectly fulfilled, calling it "a critical year marking a major turning point in carrying out the nuclear force line."
Accompanying Kim during the on-site guidance were Hong Seung-mu, First Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee, and other leading officials. According to photos released by North Korean media, the location of this guidance appears to be the same nuclear material enrichment facility publicly revealed by North Korea in September last year.
Kim’s remarks came six days after President Trump expressed willingness to resume talks with Kim. This is interpreted as North Korea’s intention to continue the standoff without engaging in dialogue for the time being.
Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said, "While this is Kim Jong Un’s consistent position, mentioning this stance during the Trump administration, unlike during the Biden administration, is on a different level," and analyzed, "It is currently a negotiation message aimed at pressuring nuclear disarmament."
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, interpreted, "This move was deliberately made public at a time when President Trump was sending friendly messages one after another," and said, "It shows that the advancement of nuclear weapons has reached an irreversible level."
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