North Korea criticized for trying to incite unrest in South
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attacked President Yoon Suk-yeol and his government Thursday, calling them "idiots" and "faithful dogs" of the United States. She also threatened Seoul saying that it has become a "target" of the North's possible military offensives.
"I do not know why the (South Korean) people remain onlookers to their 'regime' in which Yoon Suk-yeol and his idiots continue to create a perilous situation," she said in a statement carried by North Korea's state media.
Kim deserves strong criticism for using such disrespectful language against President Yoon despite the North's notorious reputation as an oppressor of human rights under its three generations of hereditary dictatorial rule.
Worse still, Kim apparently tried to incite anti-government activities by saying "When (former President) Moon Jae-in was in office, Seoul was at least not our target." Her remarks came in response to the South Korean foreign ministry's move to consider additional sanctions against the North over its recent missile launches.
The South Korean ministry's decision for increasing sanctions comes, in large part, due to the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) failure to take any action against North Korea's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), due to opposition by China and Russia. Yet, it is not entirely accurate for the North to attempt to denounce the South for heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim also revealed an intention to divide and foment unrest in the South by criticizing the current administration by comparing it with the previous one. Notwithstanding any opposition to the Yoon administration, such an issue is internal to South Korea. The North should not meddle in domestic politics as it can be regarded as an improper intervention in South Korean affairs.
What is more serious is Kim's "Seoul target," comment, given the North's recent move in September to build up its nuclear prowess including the institutionalization of the use of nuclear weapons. It can be taken to mean a "direct nuclear menace," that carries more significant implications than the North's threat of turning "Seoul into a sea of fire" in 1994.
The North has conducted a barrage of ballistic missile tests by blaming it on the joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. It can make further provocations in defiance of possible additional punitive measures. The Yoon administration should take diverse preemptive steps, in close cooperation with the U.S., in preparation for the North's military acts.
The tension regarding security on the peninsula has been escalating, prompted by the North's active nuclear ambitions coupled with a volatile global order, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine and the intensifying hegemony rivalry between the U.S. and China. The Yoon government should come up with well-conceived devices to help promote a peaceful solution to stalled inter-Korean relations.
While maintaining a resolute stance over the North's seemingly reckless actions, the government should consider feasible measures to entice North Korea back to the dialogue table. The North should also refrain from adopting the hardline stance of threatening the South with nuclear weapons, given its dire need for economic development after the lifting of international sanctions.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attacked President Yoon Suk-yeol and his government Thursday, calling them "idiots" and "faithful dogs" of the United States. She also threatened Seoul saying that it has become a "target" of the North's possible military offensives.
"I do not know why the (South Korean) people remain onlookers to their 'regime' in which Yoon Suk-yeol and his idiots continue to create a perilous situation," she said in a statement carried by North Korea's state media.
Kim deserves strong criticism for using such disrespectful language against President Yoon despite the North's notorious reputation as an oppressor of human rights under its three generations of hereditary dictatorial rule.
Worse still, Kim apparently tried to incite anti-government activities by saying "When (former President) Moon Jae-in was in office, Seoul was at least not our target." Her remarks came in response to the South Korean foreign ministry's move to consider additional sanctions against the North over its recent missile launches.
The South Korean ministry's decision for increasing sanctions comes, in large part, due to the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) failure to take any action against North Korea's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), due to opposition by China and Russia. Yet, it is not entirely accurate for the North to attempt to denounce the South for heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim also revealed an intention to divide and foment unrest in the South by criticizing the current administration by comparing it with the previous one. Notwithstanding any opposition to the Yoon administration, such an issue is internal to South Korea. The North should not meddle in domestic politics as it can be regarded as an improper intervention in South Korean affairs.
What is more serious is Kim's "Seoul target," comment, given the North's recent move in September to build up its nuclear prowess including the institutionalization of the use of nuclear weapons. It can be taken to mean a "direct nuclear menace," that carries more significant implications than the North's threat of turning "Seoul into a sea of fire" in 1994.
The North has conducted a barrage of ballistic missile tests by blaming it on the joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. It can make further provocations in defiance of possible additional punitive measures. The Yoon administration should take diverse preemptive steps, in close cooperation with the U.S., in preparation for the North's military acts.
The tension regarding security on the peninsula has been escalating, prompted by the North's active nuclear ambitions coupled with a volatile global order, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine and the intensifying hegemony rivalry between the U.S. and China. The Yoon government should come up with well-conceived devices to help promote a peaceful solution to stalled inter-Korean relations.
While maintaining a resolute stance over the North's seemingly reckless actions, the government should consider feasible measures to entice North Korea back to the dialogue table. The North should also refrain from adopting the hardline stance of threatening the South with nuclear weapons, given its dire need for economic development after the lifting of international sanctions.
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