North Korea: Kim Yo-jong warns of nuclear response in case of further provocation

Tensions have escalated in the Korean peninsula as of late with North Korea’s continued weapons tests. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, issued another warning that Pyongyang would carry out a nuclear response to any further provocation.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, issued a statement published by the state media Tuesday. Kim called the comments of South Korean defense minister Suh Wook regarding South Korea’s capabilities of pre-emptive strikes a “fantastic daydream” and the “hysteria of a lunatic.”

Kim Yo-jong reiterated that while Pyongyang does not want another war to occur in the peninsula, North Korea will retaliate with nuclear forces if South Korea resorts to pre-emptive strikes or other attacks that will leave South Korea’s military “little short of total destruction and ruin.”

This marks Kim Yo-jong’s second warning to Suh Wook’s remarks. Kim Yo-jong said Suh Wook’s comments over the weekend were “reckless” and that South Korea should “discipline itself if it wants to stave off disaster.”

North Korea has often warned that it would use its nuclear weapons to respond to threats by its rivals and has since ramped up the modernization of its military arsenal since Kim Jong-un succeeded his father more than 10 years ago. Pyongyang paused its weapons tests when now-former US President Donald Trump met with Kim in Vietnam for a summit in an effort to get North Korea to denuclearize. The talks ultimately fell through.

Aside from Kim Yo-jong, Pak Jong-chon, the secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker’s Party in North Korea, issued a separate statement over the weekend over Suh Wook’s remarks. Pak said that North Korea “will mercilessly direct all its military force into destroying major targets in Seoul and the South Korean army” should South Korea engage in military action and carry out a pre-emptive strike.

North Korea at the time, however, did not specify what it saw as major targets in the South Korean capital.

The threats come amidst rising tensions in the peninsula, as North Korea tested two ballistic missiles back in February and in March that involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM.