An official North Korean document shows Kim Jong Un has no intention of giving up his nuclear weapons but instead has told his military that he would use talks with the United States to solidify North Korea’s status as a nuclear power, according to a new report.
The document Voice of America says it obtained is described as “a teaching guide for instructing top military officials on Pyongyang’s official internal position” and was produced before Kim met President Trump in Hanoi for a second summit in February. “The document makes clear that Kim saw the meeting in Hanoi to strike ‘a final deal’ as a means to acceptance as a ‘global nuclear strategic state,’” VOA reports.
Kim is quoted as saying he would use the meeting “to further consolidate nuclear power that we have created.”
The news comes shortly after a magnitude 1.3 earthquake recorded on the border between North Korea and China on Monday briefly sparked concerns that North Korea could have conducted a new nuclear test.
China’s earthquake monitoring agency says it suspects an explosion triggered the minor earthquake, in an area where seismic activity has been detected in the past following North Korean nuclear tests, according to the Associated Press.
The earthquake happened as Chinese official media reported President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea later this week to meet with Kim.
The two-day visit will be the first by a Chinese leader to North Korea in 14 years. Xi is scheduled to meet Kim a week before the G-20 summit in Japan, where he is expected to meet with Trump.
