North Korea's Kim says 'open to dialogue' with South Korea will only use nukes if threatened
Kim Jong Un
SEOUL (Reuters) - Kim Jong Un on Monday warned the United States he has a ânuclear buttonâ on his desk ready for use if North Korea is threatened  but offered an olive branch to South Korea  saying he was âopen to dialogueâ with Seoul.
After a year dominated by fiery rhetoric and escalating tensions over North Koreaâs nuclear weapons program   Kim  used  his  televised New Yearâs Day speech to declare North Korea âa peace-loving and responsible nuclear powerâ and call for lower military tensions and improved ties with the South.
âWhen it comes to North-South relations  we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment â  Kim  said. âBoth the North and the South should make efforts.â
 Kim  said  he  would consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in Pyeongchang  South Korea  in February.
âNorth Koreaâs participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride and we wish the Games will be a success. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility â  Kim  said.
South Korea said it welcomed  Kimâs  offer to send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Games and hold talks with the South to discuss possible participation.
U.S.-based experts saw  Kim âs speech as a clear attempt to divide South Korea from its main ally  the United States  which has led an international campaign to pressure North Korea to give up weapons programs aimed at developing nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.
Asked by reporters to comment on  Kim âs speech  U.S. President Donald Trump simply said  âweâll see  weâll seeâ  as  he  walked into New Yearâs Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago   his  elite resort in Florida.
Revere said  Kim Jong Un âs speech contained the strongest defense of North Koreaâs status as a permanently nuclear-armed country he had seen.
FILE PHOTO:  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un  waves to people attending a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father   Kim Il  Sung in Pyongyang  April 15  2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
â Implicit in Kim Jong Unâs speech  is a willingness to engage with others  including the United States  on the basis of their acceptance of the ârealityâ of North Koreaâs permanent nuclear status. Thatâs not a basis on which the United States is prepared to engage â  he  said.
Rather than encouraging U.S. measures that âthreaten the security and peace of the Korean peninsula â Seoul should instead respond to overtures from the North  and âstop nuclear war exercises with foreign forces â  Kim  said.
After North Korea tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November  which it said was capable of delivering a warhead to anywhere in the United States   Kim  declared  his  nuclear force complete.
 He  continued that theme in  his  New Yearâs address  announcing that North Korea would focus in the coming year on âmass producing nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles for operational deploymentâ.
This   Kim  said  was âirreversible with any forceâ  making it impossible for the United States to start a war against North Korea.
âThe whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike and a nuclear button is always on the desk of my office and this is just a reality  not a threat â  he  said  while emphasizing that the weapons would only be used if North Korea is threatened.
SEOUL (Reuters) -  [TGT]  on Monday warned the United States he has a ânuclear buttonâ on his desk ready for use if North Korea is threatened  but offered an olive branch to South Korea  saying he was âopen to dialogueâ with Seoul.
After a year dominated by fiery rhetoric and escalating tensions over North Koreaâs nuclear weapons program   Kim  used  his  televised New Yearâs Day speech to declare North Korea âa peace-loving and responsible nuclear powerâ and call for lower military tensions and improved ties with the South.
âWhen it comes to North-South relations  we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment â  Kim  said. âBoth the North and the South should make efforts.â
 Kim  said  he  would consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in Pyeongchang  South Korea  in February.
âNorth Koreaâs participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride and we wish the Games will be a success. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility â  Kim  said.
South Korea said it welcomed  Kimâs  offer to send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Games and hold talks with the South to discuss possible participation.
U.S.-based experts saw  Kim âs speech as a clear attempt to divide South Korea from its main ally  the United States  which has led an international campaign to pressure North Korea to give up weapons programs aimed at developing nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.
Asked by reporters to comment on  Kim âs speech  U.S. President Donald Trump simply said  âweâll see  weâll seeâ  as  he  walked into New Yearâs Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago   his  elite resort in Florida.
Revere said   [TGT]  âs speech contained the strongest defense of North Koreaâs status as a permanently nuclear-armed country he had seen.
FILE PHOTO:  North Korean leader  [TGT]   waves to people attending a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father   Kim Il  Sung in Pyongyang  April 15  2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
â Implicit in  [TGT] âs speech  is a willingness to engage with others  including the United States  on the basis of their acceptance of the ârealityâ of North Koreaâs permanent nuclear status. Thatâs not a basis on which the United States is prepared to engage â  he  said.
Rather than encouraging U.S. measures that âthreaten the security and peace of the Korean peninsula â Seoul should instead respond to overtures from the North  and âstop nuclear war exercises with foreign forces â  Kim  said.
After North Korea tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November  which it said was capable of delivering a warhead to anywhere in the United States   Kim  declared  his  nuclear force complete.
 He  continued that theme in  his  New Yearâs address  announcing that North Korea would focus in the coming year on âmass producing nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles for operational deploymentâ.
This   Kim  said  was âirreversible with any forceâ  making it impossible for the United States to start a war against North Korea.
âThe whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike and a nuclear button is always on the desk of my office and this is just a reality  not a threat â  he  said  while emphasizing that the weapons would only be used if North Korea is threatened.