North Korea warns it could destroy South if threatened, but leaves door open for U.S. dialogue

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul, state media said Thursday. However, he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five years.

The official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim also called for developing new weapons systems to bolster his nuclear-armed military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be launched from underwater and an expanded arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, such as artillery and short-range missiles, targeting South Korea.

He said the accelerated development of his nuclear and missile program in recent years “permanently cemented” the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state, and called for the United States to discard what he perceives as “hostile” policies toward the North if it wants to resume long-stalled dialogue.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it was regrettable that the North continues to define inter-Korean relations as hostile and that Seoul will “patiently” pursue efforts to stabilize peace.

The Workers’ Party congress, which began last Thursday in Pyongyang, came as Kim carves out a more forceful regional presence, leveraging his expanding military nuclear program and a growing alignment with Moscow that have deepened his standoffs with Washington and Seoul.

KCNA said the North staged a military parade in the capital Wednesday as it wrapped up the congress, previously held in 2016 and 2021.

Watching the parade with his increasingly prominent daughter -- believed to be around 13 years old and named Kim Ju Ae -- Kim Jong Un in a speech said his forces were capable of “immediately and thoroughly retaliating” against any hostile threat. But the state outlet did not immediately say whether he showcased his largest weapons, including ICBMs potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

Kim calls for U.S. to discard `hostile’ policy

Kim’s comments at the congress were widely anticipated as he has been issuing increasingly hard-line views toward South Korea since 2024, when he discarded the North’s long-standing goal of a peaceful reunification between the war-divided Koreas and declared the South as a permanent enemy. But analysts expected Kim to take a more measured approach toward Washington to preserve the possibility of future dialogue, with the long-term aim of securing U.S. sanctions relief and tacit recognition as a nuclear state.

Kim has recently been prioritizing Russia in his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology. But it would make sense to keep his options open as the war in Ukraine could wind down, potentially making North Korea less valuable to Moscow, experts say.

In a report wrapping up the congress, Kim said his government was maintaining the “toughest stance” against Washington, but added there was “no reason we cannot get along” with the Americans if they withdrew their supposedly “hostile policy” toward the North. North Korea often uses the term to describe U.S.-led pressure and sanctions over Kim’s nuclear ambitions. His comments aligned with North Korea’s previous position calling for Washington to abandon its demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for reviving talks.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term.

The prospects of U.S.-North Korea relations “depends entirely on the U.S. attitude,” Kim said. “Whether it’s peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, we are ready for either, and the choice is not ours to make.”

Kim confirms hard-line view of Seoul

Analysts say Kim’s vilification of South Korea reflects his view that Seoul, which helped set up his first meetings with Trump, is no longer a useful intermediary with Washington but an obstacle to his effort to establish a more assertive regional footing.

He has also shown a sensitivity to South Korean soft power, pushing aggressive domestic campaigns to block the influence of South Korean culture and language among his population as he looks to tighten his family’s authoritarian grip.

At the congress, Kim derided liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s calls for engagement as a deception, accusing successive governments in Seoul of seeking the North’s collapse. He said there is “absolutely nothing to discuss” with an enemy state and that the North would “permanently exclude” the South from the notion of a shared nation.

“As long as the Republic of Korea cannot escape its geopolitical condition of sharing a border with us, the only way it can live safely is to abandon all ties with us and refrain from provoking us,” he said, disdainfully referring to South Korea’s formal name.

Tensions could further rise next month when South Korea stages its annual military exercises with the United States. North Korea portrays the allies’ joint exercises as invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations.

Chasing more advanced weapons

North Korea in past years has developed or tested much of the weapons from an extensive wish list Kim issued at the previous congress in 2021, including solid-fuel ICBMs, tactical nuclear systems and purported hypersonic weapons. The country launched its first military satellite in 2023 and has recently claimed progress in building a nuclear-propelled submarine.

At the latest congress, Kim set new goals to advance his nuclear forces in the next five years while calling for faster production of nuclear warheads and a broader range of delivery systems.

Emphasizing naval capabilities, Kim called for ICBMs that could be fired from underwater platforms, indicating potential plans to fit those weapons on the nuclear-propelled submarine being built. He called for developing artificial intelligence-equipped attack drones, stronger electronic warfare capabilities to disable enemy command centers, more advanced reconnaissance satellites and unspecified weapons to strike enemy satellites.

He also said the military will deploy more nuclear-capable artillery systems against South Korea in phases each year while speeding up efforts to “fortify” the inter-Korean border.

Kim Tong-hyung, The Associated Press