Regardless of who is president in the United States, Washington will continue to be North Korea’s “biggest enemy,” said the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, insisting “barbaric” US policies will carry over to a Joe Biden government.
“Our foreign political activities should be focused and redirected to subduing the US, our biggest enemy and the main obstacle for the development of our revolution,” Kim said at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Friday, where he vowed to improve ties with “anti-imperialist, independent forces,” according to a KCNA report.
Calling for further development of advanced military gear and an expansion of Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, Kim also discussed “the consequences of the worst barbaric sanctions and containment measures carried out by the United States and other hostile forces,” suggesting President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign would not cease under a fresh administration.
The leader did, however, hail a series of summit meetings between Pyongyang and Washington throughout Trump’s one-term presidency – which saw the commander in chief become the first sitting US head of state to step foot on North Korean soil – saying they “demonstrated the republic’s strategic position in defending its own interests, peace and justice,” and became a “special incident in the history of world politics.”
The summits also paved the way for improved inter-Korean ties, as a new leader in Seoul – President Moon Jae-in, long a member of South Korea’s peace camp – rose to power on vows to pursue unification efforts. Kim’s remarks on Friday came just a day after he publicly discussed how to continue that rapprochement, pledging to deepen diplomatic links between the two Koreas, Reuters reported.
The Workers’ Party meetings, which carried on over several days this week, also touched on the country’s economic policies and crises linked to international sanctions, with Kim acknowledging a 5-year economic plan had “fallen greatly short of its goals in all sectors.” The leader also hit on Pyongyang’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which he said had contributed to the economic troubles.
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