Seoul: On Monday, the influential sibling of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attacked Seoul over recent military exercises close to the border, calling the South “suicidal” and threatening a “terrible disaster”.
Seoul last month fully halted a military agreement aimed at lowering tensions and restarted live-fire drills near the demilitarized zone dividing the Korean Peninsula as well as on border islands following Pyongyang’s repeated barrages of trash-carrying balloons crossing the border.
Key regime spokesman Kim Yo Jong stated that this was “an undisguised war game (and) an inexcusable and explicit provocation that aggravates the situation,” as reported in a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency.
“Suicidal hysteria, for which they will have to sustain terrible disaster,” she continued, referring to South Korea’s border exercises.
Referring to the South by its official name, the Republic of Korea, Kim Yo Jong stated that it was “clear to everyone… the riskiness of the above-said reckless live ammunition firing drills of the ROK army coming nearer to the border of the DPRK.”
Kim Yo Jong issued a warning, saying, “Our armed forces will immediately carry out its mission,” if Seoul’s exercises infringe on the North’s sovereignty.
As Pyongyang gets closer to Russia, relations between the two Koreas are at an all-time low. Pyongyang is increasing its weapons testing.
Pyongyang has been accused by Seoul and Washington of providing Moscow with weapons to use in the conflict in Ukraine, which would be a violation of numerous sanctions against both nations.
The nuclear-armed North declared Seoul to be its principal enemy earlier this year. Since then, it has increased border security and eliminated diplomatic and outreach organizations.
Three times in the last few weeks, North Korean soldiers have reportedly unintentionally crossed the border while clearing vegetation, laying mines, and erecting probable anti-tank barriers, according to Seoul’s military.
In addition, Kim Yo Jong called the recent trilateral exercises between the US, South Korea, and Japan “the height of confrontational hysteria” and criticized them.
“The war drumbeats clearly showed that the US and other hostile forces’ rash maneuvers for military hegemony in the region have crossed the red line,” she stated.