Kim Jong Un said North Korea should prove its self-reliance and deliver a “telling blow” to the hostile foreign forces who mistakenly believe sanctions will bring his country to its knees.
The comments, reported by state media Thursday, represent Kim’s first official, defiant response to the breakdown of the second U.S.-North Korea summit in February, and were delivered to a plenary session of officials from the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
They also come as South Korean President Moon Jae-in is due to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, as he tries to find a way to mediate between the United States and North Korea and restart a stalled dialogue.
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