Kim Jong Un: North Korea's 'military muscle' prevented war with South

Katharine Lackey | USA TODAY

North Korea's "military muscle" and "nuclear deterrent" ended a tense standoff with the nation's southern neighbor, leader Kim Jong Un said Friday.

At a meeting of the powerful Central Military Commission, Kim said the agreement announced earlier this week between North and South Korea "was by no means something achieved on the negotiating table but thanks to the tremendous military muscle with the nuclear deterrent for self-defense," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

The deal, announced early Tuesday, ended an impasse that had threatened to escalate into full-scale military confrontation. Pyongyang expressed regret over its provocations — including a land mine explosion this month that injured two South Korean soldiers — and pledged to stop them. In return, Seoul agreed to halt anti-North Korean messages broadcast across the border.

Calling the standoff "the most dangerous situation which reached the brink of war," Kim discussed with military and other officials the "important strategic tasks to bolster up the national defense capability as firm as (an) iron wall," according to KCNA.

Kim's remarks are not surprising given North Korea's past behavior and statements. The reclusive nation often lashes out against South Korea and the United States and seeks to justify its regime through militaristic remarks.

Before the agreement was reached, Robert Kelly, an associate professor of political science and diplomacy at Pusan National University in South Korea, said the talks provided North Korea a face-saving way to de-escalate a crisis.

"They really don't want to have a war because they know they're going to lose," said Kelly. "They have to gin up some kind of a crisis every few years or so to justify their regime. If there's no tension with South Korea, if there's no 'hostile policies of the Americans,' then there's no reason for that regime to exist."

Contributing: Kirk Spitzer, USA TODAY