North Korea continues to make threats to South Korea and the United States. In the standoff with the United States and its allies, North Korea announced on Tuesday that it would put all of its nuclear facilities to use in the country’s efforts to expand its nuclear weapons arsenal, according to The New York Times.
The announcement was made by the North’s General Department of Atomic Energy just two days after Kim Jong-un said that the nuclear weapons were not a bargaining chip. He also called for the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal in ‘quality and quantity.’
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Hong Lei, said that China is ‘regretful’ of the announcement made by the North. China is North Korea’s biggest ally.
“We have noticed the statement made by the D.P.R.K. and feel regretful about it,” Hong said China urges all parties “to remain calm and restrained,” he said.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said on Tuesday that North Korea seems to be “on a collision course with the international community.” He also said that the standoff has gone too far and international negotiations need to happen immediately.
Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui of China said, “We do not want to see war or turmoil break out on the peninsula, and we oppose provocative words and actions by any side, and oppose any side doing harm to the peace and stability of the peninsula and the region. China strongly urges all sides to exercise calm and restraint, to avoid mutual provocation, and to never take any dangerous actions that worsen the situation.”
In his speech, Kim said, “Now that we have become a proud nuclear state, we have gained a favorable ground from which we can concentrate all our finance and efforts in building the economy and improving the people’s lives based on the strong deterrent against war.”