Putting down markers By John Burton
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his opening bid in dealing with the new administration of President Joe Biden at the eighth congress of the ruling Workers Party, which ended last week. The congress was deliberately held before Biden s inauguration this week to send a message on how Pyongyang views the situation.
It was not a reassuring one for Washington. Kim declared that the U.S. was North Korea s foremost principal enemy and added that North Korea would only negotiate from a position of strength as he outlined new nuclear and missile programs.
These included the development of tactical nuclear weapons suitable for local conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, long-range strategic missiles with multiple warheads that could reach most of the U.S. mainland, and nuclear submarines. This point was underscored when a new submarine-launched ballistic missile, described as the world s most powerful weapon, was displayed in a military parade