1Berita – Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, declared that Pyongyang would boost its military capabilities thanks to South Korea’s “commitment.”
In a New Year’s message to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Yo Jong stated that North Korea “wholeheartedly” welcomed Yoon’s commitment to counter the threats from Pyongyang.
“I wholeheartedly welcome President Yoon’s announcement of his commitment to making a unique contribution to the rapid advancement of our country’s military strength in the new year,” said Kim Yo Jong, as quoted by the North Korean news agency KCNA.
Kim referred to Yoon’s New Year’s speech, where he emphasized that Seoul would “complete” military cooperation with the United States by June of this year.
Yoon pledged to eliminate all nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea. South Korea’s government has already begun to reinstate a tougher stance toward North Korea, designating Pyongyang again as their ‘main enemy’ in their defense documents, a term that was removed during the administration of Moon Jae In.
“Solely thanks to President Yoon, security instability has become a daily reality in the Republic of Korea,” said Kim Yo Jong, as quoted by Radio Free Asia.
“We have also clearly identified who the real enemy is, allowing us to sharpen our opposition stance, like a spear under the ice,” added Kim Yo Jong.
Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, stated that Kim Yo Jong’s message could be interpreted as North Korea’s response to Yoon’s New Year’s speech.
“North Korea explicitly states the need and validity of strengthening its nuclear capabilities in response to Yoon’s hardline approach,” said Yang.
“This indicates a strong response to South Korea’s expanded preventive actions against North Korea. The joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises planned for March, before the general elections in April, are expected to be a crucial point,” he continued.
Recently, tensions between North and South Korea have escalated, particularly after Pyongyang launched its first spy satellite in November.
Seoul, angered by the launch, decided to partially suspend the 2018 military agreement between the two Koreas, aiming to ease tensions.
Pyongyang rejected this move, leading them to fully cancel the agreement between the two countries.
North Korea also vowed not to engage in further agreements with South Korea and began boosting its nuclear program for ‘war preparedness.’
