[Takryucheongron] 'Jobunseokgae' Pyongyang Provocation, Strong Response Essential

A brother and sister come out and slap each other’s cheeks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korean passport holders are stuck with nowhere to go, but suddenly, from the North, there is a midnight attack on the Blue House. It is like a bolt from the blue. Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, unleashed a barrage of verbal attacks against our government on the night of the 3rd. Kim Yo-jong, who had served as a bridge connecting the South and North Korean leaders during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the Panmunjom summit, attacked the Blue House with harsh language such as "idiotic thinking," "three-year-old children," and "scared dogs." While the crude remarks from Pyongyang have become familiar since last year, it is unusual for Kim Yo-jong, who had been mistaken as a national younger sister, to appear with such vulgar language bombs.

Chairman Kim expressed his grievances against the Moon Jae-in administration through his sister, but the Blue House made an ambiguous announcement just one day later. It was said that President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim exchanged letters regarding the COVID-19 situation. The content was not disclosed. The public has no way of knowing exactly what kind of letters were exchanged. Then, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported that North Korea requested mask support but the Blue House refused. Of course, the Ministry of Unification denied this as groundless but stated it would not protest. This is a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dialogue between the South and North around President Moon’s March 1st Independence Movement Day speech emphasizing inter-Korean health cooperation.

Then, a week later, North Korea again fired three multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) rounds into the East Sea. The zigzag behavior carried out by the Pyongyang regime, which is not a monkey from the idiom "jo-byeon-seok-gae (朝變夕改)" meaning sudden and frequent changes, but a UN member state and a self-proclaimed normal country, has the following intentions.

First, the North’s vacillating actions are largely due to the South’s own doing. After the announcement of the Workers' Party plenary meeting decision at the end of last year, the authorities likely proposed behind-the-scenes talks to the dormant Pyongyang regime due to COVID-19. However, in a reality where any cooperation projects such as connecting railroads and roads between the South and North or Mount Kumgang tourism are impossible to proceed unilaterally by the South, the proposal for talks is laughable to the North. The South is eager to show voters a picture of inter-Korean reconciliation ahead of the general election. However, even with unprecedented deals such as allowing President Moon to give a speech in front of 150,000 Pyongyang citizens, Kim Jong-un’s regime recognized that reality is harsh. Pyongyang also understood the grave situation that it cannot move forward even a step without resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

Ultimately, the expression "idiotic" appeared. Some interpreted that the Blue House’s expression of concern over North Korea’s recent missile launches provoked the North, suggesting a considerate interpretation toward Pyongyang, but this does not justify Kim Yo-jong’s appearance. Without understanding the intense behind-the-scenes struggle between the South and North, the analysis remains superficial. Without any dialogue, the powerful siblings would not suddenly mock the Blue House and exchange letters of highest dignity within a day.

Secondly, the imminent deployment of new weapons, specifically long-range multiple launch rocket systems, is a factor. North Korea is normalizing weekly military provocations to prepare for a critical future phase. According to the strategy revealed in the year-end plenary meeting decision that frontal breakthrough is only possible through new weapon development, the North is escalating its actions. With U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that there will be no North Korea-U.S. summit this year, the urgent task to bring the U.S. back to the negotiating table is the actual deployment of new weapons. Regardless of the letters, testing of new weapons will continue. Rather, the North is pursuing a strategy of using military provocations to discipline the South while normalizing bullying. North Korea even targeted the Blue House’s lukewarm expression of regret over the launch of the super-large multiple launch rocket system with harsh language and insults such as "complete fools." Still, the Blue House, caught in the "illusion of North Korea," is taking a submissive stance of "no comment" while trying to appease Chairman Kim’s mood. This is an insult with no regard for the pride of the people. Unless the paradigm of North Korea policy is changed, we will continue to hear bizarre remarks from Pyongyang’s top siblings in the dead of night.

Nam Sung-wook, Professor, Department of Unification and Diplomacy, Korea University · Former Director, National Security Strategy Institute

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