New Delhi, Delhi, India

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has said that his country's nuclear weapons are a security guarantee and “reliable, effective” deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported Tuesday.

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The North Korean dictator made these comments ahead of the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War hinting that he has no intentions of abandoning the weapons to resume diplomacy with the United States.

Previously, the country ratcheted up fiery rhetoric or conducted weapons tests to wrest outside concessions, however, some experts believe that North Korea will avoid serious talks with the Americans before the US presidential elections in November as there is a chance for a US leadership change.

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According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim said that his country has tried to become “a nuclear state” with “an absolute might” to prevent another war and that it has now built such a deterrent during his speech on Monday. 4

“Now, we’ve changed to a country which can defend itself reliably and unwaveringly against high-intensity pressures and military threats and blackmailing by imperialistic reactionaries and hostile forces,” Kim said.

“There won’t be any war on this land again and our national security and future will be guaranteed firmly and permanently because of our reliable, effective self-defensive nuclear deterrent,” Kim said.

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After the speech, both North Korean and US officials passed remarks saying that they were reluctant to engage in a new round of diplomacy on the North’s nuclear program anytime soon.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said President Donald Trump would only want to engage with Kim if there were real prospects of progress. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump met three times after the North Korean leader expressed his intent to deal away his advancing nuclear arsenals. Many experts were doubtful that Kim’s commitment disarm his weapons and said he only aimed to weaken US-led sanctions and perfect his nuclear program.

Both leaders last met in February 2019, when diplomacy talks failed in Vietnam and no agreement was signed because Trump rejected Kim’s proposal to get extensive sanctions relief in return for a limited denuclearization step.