Kim Jong-un’s sister reappeared and threatened “total destruction” of ties between Koreans

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday criticized the president of South Korea and threatening a “total destruction” of bilateral relations after the two countries provided ballistic missiles with hours apart.

Missile launches underscored the return of tensions between rivals at a time when talks aimed at stripping North Korea of ​​its nuclear program are stalled.

Kim Yo-jong he criticized South Korean President Moon Jae-in for his comments while observing his country’s missile tests, including the first of a ballistic missile fired from a submarine. Moon said South Korea’s growing missile capability will serve as a “safe deterrent” against North Korean provocations.

The tests came hours after South Korean and Japanese armies said North Korea had fired two ballistic missiles into the sea.

In a statement released by the state media, Kim rebuked Moon for calling the North Korean arms demonstrations a provocation, and warned him of a “complete destruction” of bilateral relations if he continues with what he called slander in North Korea..

He stated that North Korea is developing its military capabilities for self-defense without targeting a specific country, and that South Korea is also increasing its military capabilities. North Korea has often accused the South of hypocrisy for introducing modern weapons while calling for talks to ease tensions between divided countries.

“If the president joins the slanders and detractions (against us), this will be followed by counter-actions, and North-South relations will be doomed to total destruction.“, He said. “We don’t want that“, Added.

The armies of South Korea and Japan said the two short-range ballistic missiles fired by North Korea flew 800 kilometers before landing at sea in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, a worrying fact although they did not arrive. to Japanese territorial waters. The last time a North Korean missile landed within this area was in October 2019.

The launches took place two days after North Korea said it had fired a newly developed cruise missile, its first known missile test in six months.

Hours after the latest North Korean launches, South Korea reported its first test of a ballistic missile launched from a submarine. Before the eyes of Moon and other senior officials, the missile flew from a submarine and hit a designated target, Moon’s office said. He did not say the distance at which the weapon flew.

Experts claim that North Korea is building its weapons systems to put pressure on the United States in hopes of easing economic sanctions intended to force the North to abandon its nuclear arsenal. U.S.-led talks on this issue have stalled for more than two years.

“North Korea is trying to communicate a message that things will not go the way Washington wants, if it does not accept the demands of the North,” said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst at the Korea Research Institute for Strategy. National, based in Seoul. He said North Korea may think it has a chance now to win concessions from the administration of US President Joe Biden while it is embroiled in an internal debate following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Observers say that the Moon government, which has been actively seeking reconciliation with North Korea, may have taken steps to appear tougher in response to criticism that it is too soft with the North.

Rival nations remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War, which pitted the North and its ally China against the South and U.S.-led UN forces, ended in an armistice, not in a peace treaty.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the launches “threaten the peace and security of Japan and the region and are absolutely outrageous.”

The Indo-Pacific Command of the United States said that the North Korean trial “highlights the destabilizing impact of the (North Korean) illicit weapons program”, although he said it posed no immediate threat to the United States.

North Korean launches are a violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning any activity with ballistic missiles in North Korea. But the Council does not usually impose new sanctions when the North launches short-range missiles, such as those on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s tests came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Seoul to meet with Moon and other senior officials to discuss North Korea and other issues.

It is not uncommon for North Korea to make provocative launches when China, its last major ally and largest aid provider, is immersed in a major diplomatic event. But some experts say North Korea may have seized the moment to draw attention.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s North Korean University of Studies, said Wednesday’s tests appeared to be an improved version of a short-range missile he tested in March. According to him, the weapon is likely to be inspired by Russia’s Iskander missiles, which are designed to fly at relatively low altitudes, making it difficult for the armed forces to intercept them.

im Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Wednesday’s tests appeared to be an improved version of a short-range missile he tested in March. According to him, the weapon is likely to be inspired by Russia’s Iskander missiles, designed to fly at relatively low altitudes, making it difficult for them to be intercepted by missile defense systems.

The international community wants North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and has long used a combination of the threat of sanctions and the promise of economic aid to try to influence the North.. But negotiations have stalled since 2019, When the administration of the then President of the United States, Donald Trump, rejected the demand of the North of a significant relief of the sanctions in exchange for dismantling an old nuclear installation.

The Kim Jong-un government has so far rejected the Biden administration’s proposals for dialogue, demanding that Washington first abandon what it calls “hostile” policies. But North Korea has maintained its self-imposed moratorium on long-range nuclear and missile testing, a signal it may not want to completely rule out the possibility of reopening talks.

In 2017, North Korea claimed to have acquired the capability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons after conducting three intercontinental ballistic missile tests and its most powerful nuclear test. In recent years, it has also conducted a series of tests of missiles launched underwater, in what experts say is a worrying advance because these weapons are difficult to detect and would provide North Korea with the ability to attack. retaliation.

South Korea, which has no nuclear weapons, is under the protection of the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” which guarantees a devastating U.S. response in the event of an attack on its ally. But South Korea has accelerated its efforts to increase its conventional weapons, including the development of more powerful missiles.

Experts say South Korea’s military advances are aimed at improving its capacity for pre-emptive strikes and destroying key North Korean facilities and bunkers.

In addition to the missile launched from a submarine, South Korea also tested a missile from an aircraft.

(With AP information)

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