North Korea needs to deliver a “telling blow” to those imposing sanctions on the country by ensuring its economy is more self-reliant, its leader Kim Jong Un said.
In comments reported on Thursday by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington, Kim said he would double down on efforts to create a self-supporting national economy.
This, Kim was reported as saying, was “to deal a telling blow to the hostile forces who go with bloodshot eyes miscalculating that sanctions can bring [North Korea] to its knees”.
The remarks were Kim’s first official comments on the country’s position since the failed Vietnam summit with the US in February. The comments also signalled Pyongyang’s focus on economic development following its failure to get sanctions relief from the US at the same summit.