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Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has condemned South Korea’s recent military exercises as “suicidal hysteria” and has warned that North Korea could respond with military action.
Kim Yo Jong criticized South Korea’s live-fire drills conducted near the North and South’s land and sea borders over the past two weeks. In a statement, Kim said, “The question is why the enemy kicked off such war drills near the border, suicidal hysteria, for which they will have to sustain terrible disaster. In case it is judged according to our criteria that they violated the sovereignty of (North Korea) and committed an act tantamount to a declaration of war, our armed forces will immediately carry out its mission and duty assigned by the (North Korean) Constitution.”
Kim noted the significance of the timing of these drills, pointing out that they coincided with recent trilateral military exercises involving the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which North Korea views as a security threat.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry pushed back on Kim’s claims, noting that the drills were normal. The Defense Ministry said, “Our military conducted normal firing drills within our jurisdiction. Going forward, we will continue to conduct them in accordance with our plans.” Additionally, South Korea’s Unification Ministry expressed regret over Kim’s comments, accusing them of trying to create division and instill fear among South Koreans. Spokesman Koo Byoung-sam asserted, “We are making it clear that North Korea’s attempt to drive a wedge in our society will never work.”
This development comes after South Korea terminated its 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The decision followed an incident where balloons, some filled with human feces, were sent from North Korea in retaliation for South Korean activists sending balloons carrying anti-North Korean propaganda.
