North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a "message of congratulations" to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his 72nd birthday , noting that bilateral relations between the two countries have developed into "invincible, eternal and strategic alliance relations" following the Kremlin chief's visit to Pyongyang last June.

The supreme commander, who also called Putin "my closest comrade" , assured that "the meetings and comradely ties between us, which will continue in the future, will make a positive contribution to further consolidating the eternal foundations of the friendship between North Korea and Russia", as well as strategic and cooperative relations.

Pyongyang and Moscow have stepped up their military cooperation amid suspicions that the North is supplying Moscow with conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine in exchange for military and economic assistance. After summit talks in June, Kim and Putin signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that includes a mutual defense clause.

Kim Jong-un in the last hours He then assured that the country's "full military power" "will be used without hesitation if enemies attempt to use force against us, and the use of nuclear weapons will not be ruled out."

In a speech Monday during a visit to the Kim Jong-un National Defense University, the leader said the country's constitution "will give a strict order to the military" to act if provoked, without giving details, the KCNA report said. The threat came on a day when the North is expected to open a parliamentary session to review the constitution and consolidate Seoul as a "primary enemy."

Kim's warning also comes six days after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned the North would face "the end of its regime" if it attempts to use nuclear weapons with a "resolute and overwhelming" response from the South Korea-US alliance.

Kim also called Yoon an "abnormal man" for speaking out about military action against the nuclear-armed North, saying he would accelerate moves to transform the country "into a military and nuclear superpower."

At a time when the Seoul-Washington alliance “has been fully transformed into a nuclear alliance, as advertised, our nation’s nuclear response posture must be completed to a height that knows no bounds.”

In his speech, the leader also reiterated his position that South and North Korea are "two states hostile to each other." In the past, "we have talked about liberating the South side or unifying by force. But now we are not interested because we have declared the position of two separate states. We have no intention of attacking the ROK and it is disturbing to even be aware of that country," Kim added.

North Korea revealed the existence of a uranium enrichment facility for the first time in September, in an apparent attempt to demonstrate that Pyongyang has no intention of giving up its nuclear arsenal.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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