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

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — 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 “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 as a precondition for resuming long-stalled dialogue.

The Workers’ Party congress, which began last Thursday in Pyongyang, comes 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. At the parade, Kim 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’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 resuming 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.”

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 cement his family’s dynastic rule.

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.

Lee’s government did not immediately react to Kim’s comments.

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.

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. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

This photo provided Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends the ruling Workers’ Party Congress in Pyongyang, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

This photo provided on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during the ruling Workers’ Party Congress in Pyongyang, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s military operation to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, telling Caribbean leaders, many of whom objected to that move, that the country and the region were better off as a result.

Speaking to leaders from the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc at a summit in the country of St. Kitts and Nevis, Rubio brushed aside concerns about the legality of Maduro’s capture last month that have been raised among Venezuela’s island-state neighbors and others.

“Irrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy toward Venezuela, I will tell you this, and I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago,” Rubio told the leaders in a closed-door meeting, according to a transcript of his remarks later distributed by the U.S. State Department.

Rubio said that since Maduro’s ouster and the effective takeover of Venezuela’s oil sector by the United States, the interim authorities in the South American country have made “substantial” progress in improving conditions by doing “things that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.”

The Caribbean leaders have gathered to debate pressing issues in a region that President Donald Trump has targeted for a 21st-century incarnation of the Monroe Doctrine meant to ensure Washington’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The Republican administration has declared a focus closer to home even as Washington increasingly has been preoccupied by the possibility of a U.S. military attack on Iran.

His trip to the region came as Cuba’s government announced that its soldiers killed four people aboard a speedboat registered in Florida whose occupants it said opened fire on officers in Cuban waters.

“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” Rubio told reporters. He said that the U.S. is gathering its own information and that "we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly.”

In his remarks to the group, America's top diplomat tried to play down any antagonistic intent in what Trump has referred to as the “Donroe Doctrine.” Rubio said the administration wants to strengthen ties with the region following the Venezuela operation and ensure that issues such as crime and economic opportunities are jointly addressed.

“I am very happy to be in an administration that’s giving priority to the Western Hemisphere after largely being ignored for a very long time,” Rubio said. “We share common opportunities, and we share some common challenges. And that’s what we hope to confront.”

He said transnational criminal organizations pose the biggest threat to the Caribbean while recognizing that many are buying weapons from the United States, a problem he said authorities are tackling.

Rubio also said the U.S. and the Caribbean can work together on economic advancement and energy issues, especially because many leaders at the four-day summit have energy resources they seek to explore. “We want to be your partner in that regard,” he said.

Rubio said the U.S. recognizes the need for fair, democratic elections in Venezuela, which lies just miles away from Trinidad and Tobago at the closest point.

“We do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who’s governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today,” he said.

Trump, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, called the operation that spirited Maduro out of Venezuela to face drug trafficking charges in New York “an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States.”

The U.S. had built up the largest military presence in the Caribbean Sea in generations before the Jan. 3 raid. That has now been exceeded by the surge of American warships and aircraft to the Middle East as the administration pressures Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program.

In the Caribbean, Trump has stepped up aggressive tactics to combat alleged drug smuggling with a series of strikes on boats that have killed over 150 people and he has tightened pressure on Cuba. Regional leaders have complained about administration demands for nations to accept third-country deportees and to chill relations with China.

One regional leader who has backed the U.S. escalation is Trinidad and Tobago Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Persad-Bisses­sar, whom Rubio thanked for her public support, the State Department said.

Persad-Bissessar told reporters that her conversation with Rubio focused on “Haiti; we talked about Cuba, of course; we talked about engagements with Venezuela and the way forward.”

She was asked if she considered the latest U.S. military strikes in Caribbean waters as extrajudicial killings: “I don’t think they are, and if they are, we will find out, but our legal advice is they are not.”

Rubio had other one-on-one meetings with heads of government, including those from St. Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Jamaica and Guyana.

Terrance Drew, prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and chair of the Caribbean Community bloc, said the region “stands at a decisive hour” and that “the global order is shifting.”

Drew and other leaders said Cuba's humanitarian situation must be addressed.

“It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned. “It will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.”

Rubio told reporters that he talked to Caribbean leaders about how the “Cuba status quo is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change.”

“What the Cuban people should know is this, that if they are hungry and they are suffering, it’s not because we’re not prepared to help them. We are. It’s that the people standing in the way of us helping them is the regime. It’s their communist party,” he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday slightly eased restrictions on the sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, which instituted austere fuel-saving measures in the weeks after the U.S. raid in Venezuela.

Coto reported from San José, Costa Rica. Associated Press reporter Anselm Gibbs in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center front in red tie, poses for a group photo with other government officials attending the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. Also pictured are, Bahamas' Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis, left, Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, fourth from right, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne, second from right, Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, second from left, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness, front row third from left, and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, third from right. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, shakes hands with St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is hosting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio waits to meet with St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is hosting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a thumbs up during the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) plenary session in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, meets with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar during the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front center, attends the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) plenary session in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)