North Korea will use nuclear weapons "without hesitation" if attacked by South Korea or its American allies , Kim Jong Un warned , the official KCNA news agency reported.

Pyongyang "will without hesitation use all offensive means at its disposal, including nuclear weapons" if "the enemy" attacks us, he stressed during an inspection of a special forces base.

Earlier this week, Seoul held a military parade and President Yoon Suk Yeol threatened "the end of the North Korean regime" if Pyongyang used nuclear weapons.

The North released images of a uranium enrichment facility for the first time weeks ago, showing leader Kim visiting the site and calling for more centrifuges to boost the country's nuclear arsenal. North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under a series of U.N. sanctions over its banned weapons programs, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility before.

Relations with the South are at their lowest point in years , with the North recently announcing the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers on its southern border.

Pyongyang has designated Seoul as its "main enemy" and declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power. Kim, responding to President Yoon's remarks, called him a "puppet." Kim's remarks also referenced the South's alliance with the United States, which is its main military partner, with tens of thousands of American troops stationed in the country.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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