US Silent on Kim Yo-jong Provocation... Strategy to Avoid Provoking North Korea?

White House Spokesperson Says "Better Not to Create Sleepless Worries," No Response
State Department and Secretary Also Avoid Direct Response
NBC Reports "US Decides Not to Provoke North Korea Before Formulating Strategy"
US North Korea Experts Say "North Korea Also Moderated Its Tone Toward US"
Possibility of Prolonged US-North Korea Contact

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The White House in the United States, without responding to the statement made by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, who criticized the U.S. a day earlier, reiterated the principle that the U.S. goal is diplomacy and denuclearization.

Some argue that the U.S. government has decided not to provoke North Korea before it initiates a preemptive provocation. Amid evaluations that North Korea also refrained from provoking the U.S., there are expectations that direct talks between the two sides may not take place for a long time.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the 16th (local time) refrained from directly responding to North Korea's warning message to the U.S. issued a day earlier, saying, "I do not directly comment or respond to statements coming from North Korea."

Psaki responded, "Right now, our focus is on cooperating and coordinating with our partners and allies on various issues, including security."

She added regarding North Korea, "Our goal will always be focused on diplomacy and denuclearization." Psaki had also acknowledged the failure of attempts to contact North Korea in a briefing a day earlier while emphasizing that diplomatic solutions are the best.

In the statement released a day earlier, Kim Yo-jong mentioned "the new U.S. administration across the ocean, which is suffering from wanting to spread the smell of gunpowder on our land," and said, "If you wish to sleep soundly for the next four years, it would be better not to create troubles that cause sleepless nights from the start."

Besides Press Secretary Psaki, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also refrained from a direct response when asked about Kim Yo-jong's statement during his visit to Japan. The State Department also did not respond to Asia Economy's inquiry about its position on Kim Yo-jong's statement.

The U.S. stance on North Korea is also reflected in reports about confusion within the U.S. government’s North Korea policy published that day.

On the same day, NBC News cited three current senior administration officials and one former senior official, reporting that the U.S. government decided to avoid provoking North Korea and to use a moderated tone while the North Korea policy review is ongoing. This was decided at a senior staff meeting of the White House National Security Council (NSC).

Two government officials explained that the Biden administration's approach to North Korea at the moment can be summarized as "do not rock the boat" as long as North Korea has not yet provoked the new administration. This is interpreted as the U.S. also intending to stay quiet and not cause problems for the time being.

One official said, "Until we better understand how to approach this issue, we are trying not to stir up trouble."

Contrary to this stance, the Department of Justice surprised White House aides by referring to North Korea as a "criminal organization" when it announced the indictment of three hackers affiliated with North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau in February on charges of stealing virtual currency. The announcement was reportedly not coordinated with the White House.

At that time, NSC aides even expressed concerns to the Department of Justice, NBC reported. NBC evaluated this as "revealing tensions within the government about whether it is better to ignore the North Korean nuclear threat or confront it head-on."

Fortunately, North Korea has not provoked since then. Kim Yo-jong's language is also considered milder compared to usual.

Kim Yo-jong's statement is also seen as limiting the level of provocation toward the U.S. Although it was the first official message to the U.S. since the Biden administration took office, experts assessed that the tone was milder than the warning she issued to South Korean authorities in the same statement.

Anthony Ruggiero, senior researcher at the U.S. Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), explained Kim Yo-jong's statement as "North Korea sending a warning to maintain the status quo."

Ankit Panda, senior researcher at the U.S. Federation of American Scientists (FAS), also evaluated that the tone was low for Kim Yo-jong, who has played the role of the antagonist, describing it as a cautious warning.

However, this situation also raises concerns that dialogue between the two sides could be stalled for a long time. CNN reported that North Korea is likely to reject U.S. diplomatic efforts for the time being.

Concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles remain ongoing. On the same day, U.S. Northern Command Commander Glenn VanHerck stated in written testimony submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea has achieved worrisome success in attempts to demonstrate its capability to threaten the U.S. mainland with nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and assessed that the Kim Jong-un regime believes such weapons are necessary to deter U.S. military action and ensure regime survival.

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