Kim Jong Un watches artillery fire as he attempts display of power

Kim Jong Un watched a show of artillery fire as the dictator attempted to put on a show of power just days after threatening to nuke South Korea 'without hesitation'.

In chilling images released today from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the dictator could be seen inspecting the live artillery firing by graduates of O Jin U Artillery Academy - a facility that trains the backbone of North Korea’s artillery force - at an undisclosed location in the country.

As Kim observed the artillery academy cadets carrying out a live-fire drill, he stressed the importance of 'constantly training the guerrilla war tactics to wipe out the enemies through rapid mobile and surprise operations,' state media reported Sunday.

He also reiterated the country’s willingness to use all available offensive forces, including nuclear weapons, to defend its sovereignty. 

The tyrant leader oversaw the firing exercise by the 75th-term graduates of the artillery academy on the eve of their advance into the active commanding officers of the core arm of the Korean People's Army, according to the KCNA.

It did not specify when the exercise took place. 

The apparent show of military strength comes just two days after Kim threatened to use nuclear weapons 'without hesitation' if attacked by the South and ally the United States, North Korean state media reported Friday.

Concerns about North Korea have also grown in recent weeks, with the country unveiling a secretive uranium-enrichment facility, vowing to build more nuclear weapons and continuing its provocative missile tests. 

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, with Seoul last week staging a military parade where it showcased its bunker-busting 'monster' missile.

Last Tuesday, fighter jets flew over downtown Seoul and tanks rolled through the streets, as South Korea displayed for the first time its largest ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, which is capable of destroying underground bunkers. 

An American B-1B heavy bomber also staged a flyover of the ceremony early Tuesday, flanked by F-15K jets.

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Kim Jong-un threatens to nuke South Korea 'without hesitation' if provoked

President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Kim that using nukes would mean the end of his regime because the dictator would face 'the resolute and overwhelming response' of the South Korean-US alliance.

Images in state media showed Kim, clad in his customary leather jacket, speaking at a training event for special operations forces last week.

There, he slammed Yoon for his 'end of regime' comments and 'clamoring' about his country's alliance with the United States. 

Yoon shared his government's assessment on the recent moves by North Korea before he leaves Sunday for a three-nation trip that includes a stop in Laos for summits with Southeast Asian and other world leaders. 

At Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related meetings, Yoon says he'll emphasise that North Korea's nuclear disarmament is essential to regional peace.

'At the upcoming ASEAN-related summits, I will stress the importance of denuclearisation of North Korea, which is a prerequisite for realising a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,' Yoon said.

'This will serve to send a clear message that the international community will never condone North Korea's reckless actions,' he said.

Seoul, which does not have nuclear weapons of its own, is covered by the US nuclear umbrella, and Washington has stationed tens of thousands of troops in the country since the Korean war ended in 1953 without a peace treaty.

Kim said it was Seoul and Washington who were 'destroying regional security and peace', KCNA reported, while branding South Korea's leader 'an abnormal man'.     

Many foreign experts say North Korea eventually hopes to use an expanded nuclear arsenal as leverage to win outside concessions like sanctions relief, after a new US president is elected.

They say Kim likely thinks a win by Republican candidate Donald Trump, whom he engaged in high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018 to 2019, would increase his chances to get what he wants than Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. 

During campaigns, Trump boasted about his personal ties with Kim, while Harris said she won't 'cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are rooting for Trump.'

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The September 13 disclosure of the nuclear site showed Kim's defiance of US.-led efforts to eliminate his advancing nuclear program. 

It was North Korea's first unveiling of a facility to produce weapons-grade uranium since the country showed one at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars led by nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker in 2010. 

Hecker said the centrifuge hall shown in the recent North Korean photos was not the same one that he saw in 2010.

'North Korea seems to have recently disclosed its nuclear facility in order to draw attention from the United States and the international community in the run-up to the US presidential election, and it is likely that North Korea will carry out additional provocations such as nuclear tests and ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launches going forward,' Yoon said.

Yoon didn't elaborate whether South Korea has detected any suspicious activities in North Korea that indicate its preparations for nuclear and ICBM tests. 

He said South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's movements through the South Korea-US combined intelligence and surveillance assets.

North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2006, and numerous ICBM test-launches in recent years. 

Additional tests are likely meant to further hone its nuclear and missile capabilities.

Many observers assess North Korea has yet to possess functioning nuclear missiles that can reach the US mainland, though it likely has ones that can strike all of South Korea and Japan.

Since his inauguration in 2022, Yoon, a conservative, has made a stronger military alliance with the United States the center of his foreign policy to cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. 

He's also taken a major step toward moving beyond historical disputes with Japan to beef up a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. 

Such moves have enraged North Korea, which has called Yoon 'a traitor' and ignored his calls for dialogue.

There are some potential worries about the South Korea-US alliance if Trump returns to the White House. 

He had previously asked South Korea to drastically increase its share for the cost of the US military deployment on its soil. 

Some experts say Trump's possible push for a new round of negotiation with Kim could complicate Yoon's approach on North Korea's nuclear program.

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But Yoon said that he's confident that the 'ironclad' South Korea-US alliance will continue to advance steadily regardless of the outcome of the USelection.

'There is a firm bipartisan support for the ROK (Republic of Korea) -U.S. alliance in the United States,' Yoon said. 

'Numerous leading U.S. Democrats and Republicans have publicly stated their staunch support for the alliance and are continuously visiting Korea for consultations to enhance the bilateral relations.'

Yoon also expressed confidence that South Korea and Japan will continue to advance their bilateral ties under Japan's new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office last week. 

Yoon's office said the two countries are discussing arranging a meeting between Yoon and Ishiba on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.

Yoon said he believes North Korea's nuclear threats against South Korea are aimed at fomenting internal divisions in South Korea and tightening its domestic control with heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

'The North Korean regime's past claim that its nuclear development was never intended to target the Republic of Korea, since we are one nation, has been debunked,' Yoon said.

Asked about North Korea's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea, Yoon said that North Korea 'will face consequences that it will find difficult to withstand' if the safety of South Korean people is jeopardised. 

He didn't elaborate what specific steps his government is considering.