Protesters stage a rally denouncing North Korea's missile launch near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 26, 2022.Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Sunday condemned the South Korean defence minister’s remarks about the neighbour’s ability to strike against the North, state news agency KCNA reported.
The comment “has further worsened the inter-Korean relations and military tension on the Korean peninsula,” she was quoted as saying.
Kim, the vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, also said the country would “reconsider a lot of things” and that South Korea “may face a serious threat” due to such remarks.
South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook said on Friday his country’s military has a variety of missiles with significantly improved firing range, accuracy and power, with “the ability to accurately and quickly hit any target in North Korea.”
Suh also said the ministry will actively support the military to ensure it has the capability to respond overwhelmingly to North Korea’s missile threats. He called the north its “enemy.”
In a separate statement on Sunday, Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, said the North “will mercilessly direct all its military force into destroying major targets in Seoul and the south Korean army” if the South Korean army engages in a dangerous military action such as a preemptive strike.