After Verbal Attacks, North Korea Takes a Breather... Will Act This Weekend?

North Korea Refrains from Official Statements on South for Third Day
Likely Actions Following Party Central Military Commission Meeting

Amid escalating tensions between the South and the North, with North Korea announcing the demolition of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office and the resumption of military exercises, a K9 self-propelled howitzer is on standby at a South Korean military base in the border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the 18th.
Photo by Kim Hyun-min, Paju kimhyun81@

North Korea has refrained from direct retaliation against South Korea's strong warnings and has continued to hold back for the third day. The North Korean military previously announced military measures, stating that they would seek approval from the 'Party Central Military Commission,' and it is expected that low-intensity verbal attacks against the South will continue until the military commission's decision is made.

On the 19th, the Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, published numerous articles featuring residents' contributions and public opinion regarding their act of blowing up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, fueling a wave of criticism against the South. There has been no response yet to the Blue House's direct warning against Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, regarding her 'verbal bombs.'

In an editorial titled "The Explosion of the Enraged Public Sentiment is an Inevitable Historical Outcome," the newspaper claimed, "Our people cannot suppress their rising fury over the reckless distribution of leaflets by human trash, which has been carried out without any restraint by the South Korean authorities," and asserted, "The flames of revenge are blazing like an active volcano throughout the country." The newspaper stated, "Our people's cry is to exact a price exactly equal to the insult inflicted on our most precious things by the enemies who tormented us," signaling a warning of leaflet distribution against the South.

This is interpreted as a continuation of the statement made by the General Staff of the Korean People's Army on the 17th, which declared, "We will open areas favorable for leaflet distribution along the entire front line, thoroughly guarantee the military support for our people's leaflet distribution struggle against the South, and establish foolproof safety measures." The newspaper emphasized, "Our people, especially young students, are full of enthusiasm to rush to the front-line areas and launch a large-scale indiscriminate leaflet distribution campaign."

However, there was no official party-level statement or position like earlier in the week. This suggests a lowering of the intensity of criticism as a form of holding back. Observers predict that North Korea's full-scale actions could emerge as early as this weekend. Professor Kim Dong-yeop of the Far East Institute at Gyeongnam University explained the background of North Korea's silence, saying, "On the 17th, the General Staff stated in a communiqu? that measures would be implemented after approval by the Central Military Commission," and forecasted, "If approval is granted on the 19th, North Korea might take some action on the 20th."

It is also possible that North Korea is watching South Korea's response. The Choson Sinbo, the organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan representing North Korea's position, claimed on the 18th, "The intensity and timing of Korea's continuous anti-South actions will be determined by the South Korean authorities' conduct and behavior."

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