Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, warned that while her country opposed war, it would be ready to use nuclear weapons as a counter if the South showed aggression, referencing the incoming conservative president of its neighbor.
Being a senior official in the government and the ruling party, Kim Yo Jong said that it would be considered a "very big mistake" for South Korea's minister of defense to make recent remarks about plans to conduct attacks on the North.
North Korea vs South Korea
On Friday, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said that his nation's military had access to a variety of missiles that have significantly improved range, accuracy, and power. The official added that the armaments had the "ability to accurately and quickly hit any target in North Korea."
The two regions have continued to increase displays of military strength after North Korea's test-firing of a range of powerful missiles this year alone. Seoul and Washington officials also expressed their concerns that the nation was preparing to resume testing nuclear weapons since it stopped in 2017 due to stalled negotiations, as per Reuters.
Kim Yo Jong's statement on Tuesday called Suh's recent comments about preemptive strikes on the North a "fantastic daydream" and the "hysteria of a lunatic." The official said that if the North was prompted to counterattack, its nuclear capabilities would leave the South's military "little short of total destruction and ruin."
The sister of the North Korean leader also called the South Korean defense minister a "scum-like guy" and warned that his country could face a "serious threat" due to his remarks. Kim Yo Jong's statements come amid tensions over North Korea's accelerating weapons tests.
According to the Associated Press, experts argued that the North may be planning to up the ante in the following months and could possibly test-fly missiles over Japan or resume nuclear explosive tests. They say that efforts could be made to try and get a response from United States President Joe Biden who is currently focusing on addressing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Nuclear Weaponry
North Korea has tried to increase pressure on Seoul just weeks before the latter's new president, conservative Yoon Seok-youl, succeeds Moon Jae-In. The new ruler is seen to have little to show for his attempts at rapprochement with Pyongyang.
In 2018, Moon met Kim Jong Un three times and lobbied hard in order to set up the North Korean leader's first summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump in June later that year. In 2019, a second Kim-Trump summit took place and ended in failure due to disagreements on sanctions relief.
Now, the Biden administration has shown little interest in reviving denuclearization talks with the North unless they result in the verifiable dismantling of the region's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The situation comes as Yoon is scheduled to be sworn in on May 9 and has vowed to strengthen the South's military defenses against North Korean missile attacks. However, he has not ruled out a possible return to dialogue with Kim Jong Un, The Guardian reported.
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