North Korea could ‘get along with’ US, Kim Jong Un says

At the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party, Kim Jong Un has declared his intent to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, calling on the United States to respect his country’s nuclear power, the BBC writes.

The United States and North Korea could “get along,” Kim added, but only if the US accepts that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are here to stay.

“The future state of North Korea-US relations depends entirely on the US attitude”, Kim said.

“Whether it’s peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation, we are ready for either, and the choice is not ours to make.”

However, Kim dashes hopes of any diplomatic thaw with South Korea, calling them the North’s “most hostile entity.”

Addressing South Korea, he said that “as long as South Korea cannot escape the geopolitical conditions of having a border with us, the only way to live safely is to give up everything related to us and leave us alone.”