海角大神

Expressing deep frustration over stalled nuclear talks, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of unspecified 鈥渟hocking鈥� action and that his country will soon reveal a new 鈥渟trategic weapon鈥� to the world as its bolsters its nuclear deterrent in face of 鈥済angster-like鈥� U.S. pressure.

Mr. Kim also said North Korea was no longer obligated to maintain a self-imposed suspension on the testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, which President Donald Trump has touted as a major diplomatic accomplishment. But Mr.聽Kim gave no clear indication that a resumption of such tests was impending and appeared to leave the door open for eventual negotiations.

Mr.聽Kim has used the diplomatic stalemate to expand his military capabilities by intensifying tests of shorter-range weapons. His arsenal is now estimated to include 40 to 50 nuclear bombs and various delivery systems, including solid-fuel missiles designed to beat missile-defense systems and developmental ICBMs potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

Mr.聽Kim has also strengthened his negotiating position, moving the diplomacy closer to an arms reduction negotiation between nuclear states rather than talks that would culminate in a unilateral surrender of the weapons he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.

Lee Sang-min, spokesman for South Korea鈥檚 Unification Ministry, said North Korea carrying out its threat to showcase a new strategic weapon would be unhelpful for diplomacy.

Strategic weapons usually refer to nuclear-capable delivery systems such as ICBMs, but North Korea otherwise has been vague about what new arms it would display. It announced in December that it performed two 鈥渃rucial鈥� tests at its long-range rocket launch site that would further strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

Mr.聽Kim鈥檚 comments published in state media Wednesday were made at a key, four-day meeting of the ruling Workers鈥� Party鈥檚 Central Committee as talks between Washington and Pyongyang have faltered over disagreements on disarmament steps and the removal of sanctions.

Some experts say North Korea, which has always been sensitive about electoral changes in U.S. government, will avoid serious negotiations in the coming months as it watches how President Trump鈥檚 impending impeachment trial over his dealings with Ukraine affects U.S. presidential elections in November.

Mr.聽Kim may instead seek to strengthen his leverage by promoting a united front with Beijing and Moscow, Pyongyang鈥檚 traditional supporters, which seek to establish themselves as major stakeholders in North Korean diplomacy. Both have called for the U.N. Security Council to consider easing sanctions on the North to spur progress in nuclear negotiations.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres 鈥渧ery much hopes that the tests will not resume,鈥� citing existing Security Council resolutions. 鈥淣on-proliferation remains a fundamental pillar of global nuclear security and must be preserved,鈥� the spokesman said.

Mr. Dujarric said the secretary general repeated his support for 鈥渢he resumption of a dialogue that will lead to complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Diplomatic engagement is the only pathway to sustainable peace.鈥�

Mr.聽Kim last year had said the North would pursue a 鈥渘ew way鈥� if the Trump administration doesn鈥檛 make concessions to salvage the negotiations by the end of December. His defiant words entering 2020 indicate his 鈥渘ew way鈥� could look very much like the old one 鈥� a patient determination to wait out sanctions and pressure, which will possibly weaken over time, while cementing the country鈥檚 status as a nuclear state.

Mr.聽Kim at the party meeting declared the North will never give up its security for economic benefits in the face of what he described as increasing U.S. hostility and nuclear threats, the Korean Central News Agency said.

鈥淸Mr.聽Kim] said that we will never allow the impudent U.S. to abuse the DPRK-U.S. dialogue for meeting its sordid aim but will shift to a shocking actual action to make it pay for the pains sustained by our people so far and for the development so far restrained,鈥� the agency said, referring to the North by its formal name, the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea.

North Korea鈥檚 leader added that 鈥渋f the U.S. persists in its hostile policy toward the DPRK, there will never be the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and the DPRK will steadily develop necessary and prerequisite strategic weapons for the security of the state until the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy,鈥� KCNA said.

鈥淸Mr.聽Kim] confirmed that the world will witness a new strategic weapon to be possessed by the DPRK in the near future, declaring that we cannot give up the security of our future just for the visible economic results ... now that hostile acts and nuclear threat against us are increasing,鈥� it said.

Mr.聽Trump late Tuesday urged Mr.聽Kim to stick to his alleged commitment to denuclearize. The leaders after their first summit in Singapore in June 2018 issued a vague statement on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without when and how it would occur.

鈥淟ook, he likes me, I like him, we get along,鈥� Mr.聽Trump said as he walked into a New Year鈥檚 party at Mar-a-Lago. 鈥淏ut he did sign a contract, he did sign an agreement talking about denuclearization ... I think he鈥檚 a man of his word so we鈥檙e going to find out, but I think he鈥檚 a man of his word.鈥�

North Korea has held to its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing since 2018, though last year it ended a 17-month pause in ballistic activity by testing a slew of solid-fuel weapons that potentially expanded its capabilities to strike targets in South Korea and Japan, including U.S. military bases there.

While Mr.聽Kim gave no clear indication he was abandoning negotiations entirely or restarting the suspended tests, he said North Korea鈥檚 efforts to bolster its deterrent will be 鈥減roperly coordinated鈥� depending on future U.S. attitudes.

Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean expert at Seoul鈥檚 Dongguk University, said it would be irrational for Pyongyang to risk shattering its negotiations with Washington by resuming ICBM tests when Beijing and Moscow are campaigning for eased sanctions.

鈥淲hen you are developing an unfinished nuclear program, you conduct test after test in efforts to manufacture a crisis that would force your rival into negotiating, which was North Korea鈥檚 previous pattern of behavior,鈥� said Mr. Koh, an adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

鈥淏ut once you reached a strategic [nuclear] status and need to consolidate it, you do it quietly while holding back provocative tests, like the way India and Pakistan did it,鈥� Mr. Koh said.

Mr.聽Kim did warn there were no longer grounds for the North to be 鈥渦nilaterally bound鈥� to its moratorium, criticizing the United States for expanding sanctions, continuing military exercises with South Korea and providing the South with advanced weaponry.

The allies have scaled down their major military exercises since 2018 to create space for diplomacy, but North Korea considers such drills to be rehearsals for an invasion and insists even the smaller drills violate agreements between the leaders.聽