picture released, Getty Images
Kim Yo Jong issued two consecutive warnings to South Korea
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that Pyongyang would respond with nuclear strikes if South Korea launched a preemptive attack.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official, issued two statements in response to South Korean officials’ comments.
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook had said his country was capable of striking missile launch points in North Korea – prompting an angry reaction.
North Korea has tested several missiles this year, raising tensions in the region.
Kim Yo Jong issued a second statement in state media on Tuesday, saying that any South Korean aggression would be followed by an “inevitable” nuclear response from North Korea.
“If South Korea chooses to engage in a military confrontation with us, our combat nuclear force will inevitably have to perform its duty,” official media reports quoted her as saying.
Kim had already issued a statement last Sunday directly attacking Suh, describing him in harsh words as a “scum-like man” because he referred to an attack.
She added that North Korea does not want war and will not shoot first, but will respond if attacked.
North Korea announced it launched multiple missiles in March, which the United States said was a test of parts of an ICBM system.
Ms. Kim dismissed South Koreas assertions that it could reach North Koreas missile bases, calling it a “dream dream”.
Analysts said Kim’s widely publicized comments, her first public comments in more than six months, were aimed largely at reassuring the local public in North Korea.
Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korean analyst from the Sejong Institute, said Ms. Kim’s speech was aimed at “strengthening the internal unity within the North,” at a time of uncertainty and concern over the future of relations with a new South Korean government.
picture released, Getty Images
Just two weeks ago, North Korea claimed to have successfully tested its largest ICBM
South Korean President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, who is due to begin his term in May, is seen as a more hawkish leader and may take a more aggressive stance against North Korea.
While campaigning, he hinted to voters the possibility of a preemptive strike against North Korea, following a significant increase in the number of North Korean missile tests this year.
And just two weeks ago, North Korea claimed to have successfully tested its largest ICBM.
Despite skepticism about the launch’s authenticity, South Korea has taken the implications of the test seriously, as it will end a self-imposed moratorium on far-reaching tests since 2017.
The United Nations bans North Korea from testing ballistic and nuclear weapons, but the isolated country has defied the ban, prompting several countries to impose sanctions.
Source link
https://www.bbc.com/arabic/world-61000226\
