KIM JONG UN CALLS U.S. NORTH KOREA’S BIGGEST ENEMY

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has clearly displayed a confrontational attitude toward the United States, state-run media said ahead of US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, describing Washington as Pyongyang's "biggest enemy," Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

At the first congress of the ruling party in nearly five years, which started Tuesday, Kim also pledged to further strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal while saying the United States will not change its hardline stance against North Korea, whoever is president.

It was Kim's first direct mention of Pyongyang's ties with Washington since the US presidential election in November, where Democrat Biden defeated incumbent Republican Donald Trump.

North Korea should "subdue the United States, the biggest enemy that is a basic obstacle to the development" of the nation's revolution, Kim was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency as saying at the rare meeting of the Workers' Party.

"No matter who is in power in the United States, the substance of the United States and the true spirit of its fundamental policy toward North Korea will never change," Kim said.

To establish a "new relationship" between the two countries, the United States would have to abandon its "hostile" policy toward North Korea, Kim said, adding Pyongyang will not use nuclear weapons unless hostile forces try to utilize them against it.

Regarding inter-Korean ties, Kim said the North has "no need to unilaterally provide goodwill toward the South at this juncture," calling on Seoul to stop any hostile action.

WEEKLY FEATURE : JOSE MARI CHAN AND THE CHRISTMAS ANTHEM