Why it matters: Kim’s comments come days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“…Biden has promised ‘principled diplomacy’ with North Korea, implying a break with President Donald Trump’s high-stakes summits with Kim Jong-un,” NPR writes.
Kim said he did not intend to use nuclear weapons unless “hostile forces” planned to attack his country, per Al Jazeera. He did note that North Korea should expand its nuclear arsenal and improve its long-range missile capabilities, and called his country a “responsible nuclear weapons owner.”
