Verbal jousting between two neighbors irritated by each other.
North Korea will use nuclear weapons to “eliminate” the South Korean army if it launches a preemptive attack, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un assured this Tuesday. This warning from Kim Yo Jong, reported by state-run media, is his second furious reaction in three days to South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook's remarks last week.
Suh Wook said on Friday that his country had missiles "capable of precisely and quickly hitting any target in North Korea", while Pyongyang has increased ballistic missile tests in recent months and threatens to resume its nuclear tests.
In response, Kim Yo Jung said on Tuesday that it was a "very big mistake" for this "crazy" Suh Wook to discuss a preemptive strike against a nuclear power, according to the Northeast News Agency. Korean KCNA.
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“If South Korea opts for a military confrontation with us, our nuclear combat force will inevitably have to fulfill its mission,” warned Kim Yo Jong.
This key political adviser in Pyongyang recalled that the "primary mission" of the nuclear forces of her country was to serve as a means of deterrence, but that if an armed conflict were to break out, these weapons would be used to "eliminate the armed forces of the enemy during a strike.
In the event of a "terrible attack", the South Korean forces would meet a "miserable fate which is nothing but total destruction and ruin", she said.
"We don't see (them) as an adversary for our armed forces," she said, referring to the South Korean military.
Ms Kim had already lambasted Mr Suh's "reckless remarks" on Sunday, warning that the South must "discipline itself if it is to avoid disaster".
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North Korea: Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un
North Korea had suspended nuclear and long-range missile testing when Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump began high-profile talks, which broke down in 2019. Negotiations have since stalled. dead point.
North Korea celebrates this month the 110th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader.
Usually, Pyongyang likes to mark important anniversaries with military parades, big weapons tests or satellite launches.
