SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – For second time this week powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized South Korea for advertising their supposed pre-emptive strike capabilities against North, stating that her country’s nuclear forces would destroy the South’s conventional forces if provoked.
In a statement released on Tuesday by the North Korean state media, Kim Yo-jeong called South Korean Defense Minister Soo-wook’s recent comments about pre-emptive strikes a “fantastic dream” and “hysteria.” of crazy”.
She stressed that North Korea is not want another war on Korean peninsula, but warned that he would respond with its nuclear forces if the South decides for preemptive strikes or other attacks that would leave the South military “a little shorter of total destruction and ruin.”
North Korea has repeatedly said it will proactively use their nuclear weapons when they were threatened by rivals because they accelerated their development of nuclear bombs and missiles, which Kim Jong-un considers his most powerful guarantee of survival.
In another statement addressed to Suh on On Sunday, Kim Yo Jung called him a “scum.”like guy” and warning what the south can face “serious threat” because of his comments.
Her statements came amid tensions over North Korea’s accelerating weapon is testing this year, including its first test of intercontinental ballistic missile from 2017 on March 24th like her brother revives nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing Washington to accept the North as a nuclear power and lift crippling sanctions.
Some experts say the North may up ante in the next few months maybe test- flying missiles over Japan is either resuming nuclear explosive testing as it tries to get a response from the Biden administration, which is distracted by Russian actions. invasion of Ukraine and escalating rivalry with China.
The resumption of tension was a major setback for Outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a pigeon liberal who staked his presidential term on his ambition for inter-Korean rapprochement.
During a visit to the strategic missile command of the country last week, Su said that South Korea has ability and readiness for targeted strikes on North Korea, if it discovers that the North intends fire missiles in South Korea.
Seoul has long adhered to such a proactive attack strategy cope with missile and nuclear threats from North Korea, but this was highly unusual. for moon administration official publicly discuss it.
“In case (South Korea) decides for military confrontation with usour nuclear combat force will inevitably have to bear out this duty … horrible attack will be launched and the (South Korean) army will have to face unhappy fate is shorter of total destruction and ruin,” said Kim. in her latest statement.
South Korea government did not immediately respond to her comments. Seoul released low-key reply after Kim’s previous comments on Sunday, urging Pyongyang to refrain from further escalating tensions and return to dialogue.
moon met Kim Jong Un three times in 2018 and lobbied hard to help set up his kim first vertex with then President Donald Trump in june that year.
But diplomacy went downhill after second Kim-Trump meeting in 2019 when the Americans rejected the demands of North Korea for lifting of major sanctions in exchange for limited surrender of its nuclear capability.
Kim has since vowed to strengthen his nuclear forces and accelerate up weapon development despite limited resources and the difficulties associated with the pandemic. North Korea has also severed all inter-Korean cooperation by expressing anger over USA-South Korea military exercise and seoul inability wrest concessions from Washington on his name.
Before it resumes of long-range testing last month, the North spent a lot of in past three years expanding its arsenal of nuclear short-range missiles threatening South Korea.
Experts talk about those missiles that could potentially be armed with “tactical” battlefield nuclear weapons, report the threat of the North use smaller nuclear weapons even during conventional warfare to overcome stronger conventional forces of South Korea and USA US stations around 28,500 soldiers in South to contain North Korean aggression.
Moon term ends in May when it will be replaced conservative Yoon Seok Yeol, who could take a harder line on Pyongyang.
This was announced by US State Department spokesman Ned Price. special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, plans meet your Chinese colleague in Washington to discuss the growing threat of the North. China, Pyongyang’s main ally and economic lifeline, has repeatedly urged for weakening of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North, citing economic losses on civilians. ___ Writers AP Hyun Jin Kim in Seoul and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
.
