North Korea warns of strengthening nuclear deterrence amid U.S. strategy review

North Korea has declared it will continuously expand and strengthen its "self-defensive nuclear deterrence" in response to potential shifts in U.S. nuclear strategy. Pyongyang warned that any new U.S. nuclear strategy, particularly one that broadens the use of tactical nuclear weapons, could be prioritized for application on the Korean Peninsula.

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The U.S. nuclear strategy is shifting from 'deterrence mission' to 'actual use'.

A commentary published in the Rodong Sinmun by an unnamed "military commentator" accused the U.S. of entering a "new dangerous phase" with its nuclear hegemony ambitions, which it claims is generating international concern. The commentary referenced recent remarks by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Colin Kahl, about developing a new nuclear strategy, which media outlets have interpreted as a potential shift towards tactical nuclear weapons to counter regional conflicts with China and Russia.

The North Korean commentator asserted that the U.S. nuclear strategy is moving away from "deterrence" towards "actual use," calling the pursuit of a new strategy a "reckless and serious" endeavor. The commentary pointed to the Trump administration's 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, which emphasized modernizing strategic nuclear forces and developing low-yield nuclear weapons, alongside ongoing U.S. efforts to modernize its nuclear triad.

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The most powerful attack is the most reliable defense.

Warning that the U.S. strategy poses a "risk factor" pushing the global security environment toward a "critical point" of nuclear war, the commentary specifically highlighted the potential impact on the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region, where nuclear-armed states are concentrated. It cited the U.S.-South Korea "Nuclear Consultative Group" and U.S. extended deterrence commitments to Japan as evidence that the Korean Peninsula could be the primary target for the new U.S. strategy.

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We will continuously expand and strengthen our self-defensive nuclear deterrence capable of thoroughly crushing any nuclear threat, and continue to make the rival powers recognize the catastrophic consequences their adventurous choices against our state will bring.