"Scared Dog, Retard"... 'Doksul Gongju' Kim Yo-jong, Making a Comeback?

Expression of Regret from Cheong Wa Dae and Military over North Korean Projectile Launch
Attention on Kim Yo Jong's Reappearance After Last Week's Harsh Criticism of Cheong Wa Dae

Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, expressed shock at the Blue House's concerns over North Korea's joint strike drills, reported by the Korean Central News Agency on the 3rd.

In a statement titled "Expressing Shock at the Blue House's Incompetent Way of Thinking" released that night, Kim Yo-jong referred to the People's Army's frontline long-range artillery unit's firepower combat training held the previous day, stating, "We did not conduct the training to threaten anyone," and described it as a self-defensive measure. The photo shows Kim Yo-jong accompanying Kim Jong-un during his visit to Vietnam on March 2, 2019, paying respects at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

North Korea launched three short-range projectiles into the East Sea on the 9th, and the government immediately expressed regret over this, drawing attention to what kind of response North Korea will make. Particular interest centers on whether Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the Workers' Party and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, will reappear.

Earlier, on the 2nd, when North Korea fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the Blue House held an emergency meeting with related ministers and expressed strong concern over North Korea's actions that heightened military tensions.

The very next day, on the 3rd, First Deputy Director Kim Yo-jong fiercely criticized the Blue House in a statement titled "Expressing Shock at the Blue House's Stupid Way of Thinking."

Kim said, "How can every word you utter and every action you take be so specific and perfectly foolish?" adding, "A frightened dog barks louder."

Kim Yo-jong, who emerged with Kim Jong-un's official rise to power in 2012, has actively participated in inter-Korean, North Korea-China, and North Korea-US summits, but this was her first time issuing a statement in her own name.

She emphasized that "we did not train to threaten anyone," highlighting the self-defensive nature of the exercises, and repeatedly stressed that expressing regret over this was "an overstepping and ridiculous act" and "the height of hypocrisy."

Subsequently, North Korea launched projectiles again on the 9th, and South Korea also immediately expressed regret once more. This mirrored the situation on the 2nd and 3rd.

The South Korean government's expression of regret is expected to provoke North Korea again, with a high likelihood of a harsh response.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Gyeongnam National University, said, "(North Korea's recent launches) are consistent messages, as revealed in Kim Yo-jong's previous statement," interpreting it as a political message that "no one should challenge their attempts to strengthen self-defensive military capabilities."

Professor Im explained, "Considering North Korea's principled and stubborn attitude, the more South Korea or the international community raises issues about North Korea's provocations, the more likely North Korea is to respond militarily and swiftly."

Jung Sung-jang, director of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, said, "Following the Joint Chiefs of Staff's expression of 'strong regret,' the Blue House also expressed a similar stance, albeit at a relatively lower level, so North Korea is expected to strongly retaliate again."

He predicted, "North Korea is highly likely to issue a critical statement again under the name of Kim Yo-jong, Kim Yong-chol, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, or other senior officials or organizations related to South Korea."

On the 2nd, Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, supervised a fire strike drill of the frontline long-range artillery unit, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 3rd. The photo, released on the KCNA website, shows a rocket launch scene, with a projectile blazing and soaring from one of the four launch tubes on a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL).

Meanwhile, on the 9th, the Blue House stated regarding North Korea's projectile provocations that these acts "do not help efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula." However, unlike the launch of the super-large multiple rocket launcher on the 2nd, expressions such as "strong concern" or "call for suspension" were not used.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "North Korea's actions (launches) contradict the fundamental spirit of the 'September 19 Military Agreement,' which was agreed upon to ease military tensions and build trust on the Korean Peninsula, and we express strong regret."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.