The statement came after South Korea’s defense minister said Seoul can accurately strike any target in North Korea.
North Korea has condemned South Korea’s defense minister’s statement about the possibility of an attack against the North and warned it will destroy key targets in Seoul if the South takes any “dangerous military action”. as a pre-emptive strike.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement Sunday that the South Korean defense minister’s remarks “further worsen inter-Korean relations and military tension in the region.” Korean peninsula,” according to state news agency KCNA.
The statement came after Suh Wook said on Friday that the South Korean military has a variety of missiles with significantly improved range, accuracy and power, with “the ability to hit accurately and quickly.” any target in North Korea.”
Suh also said the ministry will actively support the military to ensure it has the ability to respond overwhelmingly to North Korea’s missile threats. He called the north “the enemy”.
Kim, deputy 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 the comments. considered as such.
In a separate statement on Sunday, Pak Jong Chon, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, said North Korea “will mercilessly direct all its military forces to destroy the main target in Seoul and the South Korean army” if the South Korean army engages in a dangerous military action such as a pre-emptive strike.
North Korea did not detail what it considers the main target in Seoul.
Tensions escalate
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated sharply in recent weeks after North Korea tested two ballistic missiles on February 26 and March 4 involving an intercontinental ballistic missile system. (ICBM) that the country is developing and when it conducted a complete ICBM test – the first since 2017 – last week.
Following the tests, the United States on Friday imposed sanctions on five entities it accuses of helping North Korea develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
Tensions are likely to increase as South Korea’s President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol prepares to take office next month. Yoon has previously said that pre-emptive strikes might be the only way to counter North Korea’s new hypersonic missiles if they appear ready for an impending attack.
Yoon called for increased military deterrence, including strengthening ties with the United States, and promised to seek to establish a permanent trilateral channel of dialogue between South Korea, North Korea and the United States.
