Kim Jong Un Says He Has Lawful Right to Destroy South Korea

North Korean leader launched new pressure campaign on Seoul
South Korean government sees Kim interfering in elections

Kim Jong Un with his daughter, waves as he visits the defense ministry during an event for the 76th founding anniversary of the country’s army in North Korea on Feb. 8Source: Korean Central News Agency/AP Photos

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By Jon Herskovitz and Vincent Lee

February 9, 2024 at 12:51 AM UTC

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he has the legal right to annihilate South Korea, in his latest move to threaten his neighbor after starting the year by eliminating the concept of peaceful unification from his state’s national policy.

Kim said in a visit to the Ministry of Defense to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the army that the “puppets” of South Korea had rebuffed Pyongyang’s efforts for cooperation and were bent on absorbing its neighbor, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.