Assessing The US Military Policy And Threat Reach Danger Line, North Korea Ready For Long-Term Confrontation

JAKARTA - North Korea will strengthen its defenses against the United States (US) and consider restarting all temporarily suspended activities, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, a clear reference to its self-imposed moratorium on testing its nuclear bombs and long-range missiles.

Tensions have risen over the recent series of North Korean missile tests. The US push for new sanctions was followed by a heated reaction from Pyongyang, raising the specter of a return to a period of so-called "fire and fury" threats in 2017.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a meeting of the ruling Labor Party's elite politburo on Wednesday to discuss important policy issues, including countermeasures against hostile US policies, the official KCNA news agency said.

Washington's military policies and threats have "reached the danger line," he said, citing joint US-South Korean military exercises, the deployment of advanced US strategic weapons in the region, and the implementation of independent and UN sanctions.

KCNA further said the Politburo ordered a reconsideration of confidence-building measures, "immediately examines the issue of restarting all temporarily suspended activities," while calling for "immediate strengthening of stronger physical means."

"We must make more thorough preparations for a long-term confrontation with the US imperialists," he said

In this regard, the US State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

North Korea has not tested a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or nuclear weapon since 2017, amid a flurry of diplomacy with Washington, after the North test-fired a ballistic missile capable of striking the US mainland.

But Pyongyang began testing a new range of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) after denuclearization talks stalled and returned to a stalemate following a failed summit in 2019.

North Korea has defended its missile launch, citing it as a sovereign right of self-defense, accusing Washington of imposing double standards on weapons tests.

On Monday, North Korea conducted its fourth missile test of the year, following two launches of a high-speed, maneuverable "hypersonic missile" after takeoff, and another involving a rail-carried missile system.

The unusually fast speed of the launch prompted US condemnation and a push for new UN sanctions, while Pyongyang responded to this by threatening to take stronger action.

The politburo's decision appears to be a step beyond North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's earlier statement in early 2020 that he would no longer be bound by a moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing, after the United States did not respond to calls for concessions to reopen negotiations.

"We need to be prepared for more commotion designed to create a warlike atmosphere, and perhaps more provocation testing," said Jean Lee, a fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center.

"He (Kim Jong-un) will use any and every opportunity now to justify further weapons testing."