Kim Yo-jong threatens 'overwhelming' action against S. Korea, US
This photo, taken from an observatory in the South Korean border city of Paju, Tuesday, shows a village in the North Korean town of Kaepung. Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
The North Korean leader's powerful sister warned, Tuesday, that the country is prepared to overwhelmingly respond to military activities by South Korea and the United States.
“The demonstrative military moves and all sorts of rhetoric by the U.S. and South Korea, which go so extremely frantic as not to be overlooked, undoubtedly provide the DPRK with conditions for being forced to do something to cope with them,” Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“As already clarified, we keep our eye on the restless military moves by the U.S. forces and the South Korean puppet military and are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment.”
She also added that the U.S. and South Korea should refrain from any further behaviors that aggravate the situation.
Her remarks came after Seoul and Washington carried out a combined air drill, Monday, involving a U.S. nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber. The U.S. also sent a B-1B strategic bomber for another drill, Friday.
Less than a week from now, the allies plan to hold the Freedom Shield exercise from March 13 to 23, during which they will also stage several combined field training exercises around the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang has responded strongly to the annual military exercise, denouncing it as a rehearsal for invasion.
Also referring to U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. John Aquilino, who was quoted in media recently saying that if North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the Pacific, the U.S. will intercept it immediately, she describes the possible response as a “clear declaration of war” against her country.
“I don't know if he really made such improper words to speak for the stand of the U.S. military or if it was nothing but the puppet media's trite wordplay, but I clearly warn in advance irrespective of any reason whether it is true or not,” she said, adding that the Pacific Ocean is not under the dominion of the U.S. or Japan.
North Korea recently threatened that it could use the Pacific as its "firing range" in response to joint military drills by the U.S. and the South.
She also delivered a message to the U.S. “It will be regarded as a clear declaration of war against the DPRK, in case such military response as interception takes place against our tests of strategic weapons that are conducted without being detrimental to the security of neighboring countries in the open waters and air which do not belong to the U.S. jurisdiction,” she said. The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at a regular board meeting in Vienna, Austria, Monday (local time), that North Korea's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri shows “deeply troubling" signs of activity.
As of May last year, North Korea is believed to have made full preparations for a possible seventh nuclear test, according to South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.