Kim Yo-jong "Strong Regret Over ROK-US Joint Exercises, Treacherous Act by Namjoson" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a statement on the 10th, the start date of the pre-training for the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, saying, "The United States and the South Korean military have ultimately begun joint military exercises that further promote instability in the situation," and expressed "strong regret over the treacherous actions of South Korean authorities."

She criticized both South Korea and the United States.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In her statement that day, Vice Director Kim said, "The joint military exercises are the most concentrated expression of the U.S.'s hostile policy toward Korea, aimed at crushing our country by force," and pointed out, "Regardless of the scale or form of the exercises, they have an aggressive nature as war rehearsals and preliminary nuclear war drills centered on a preemptive strike against us."

She warned, "The dangerous war exercises carried out by the U.S. and South Korea, ignoring our repeated warnings, will inevitably bring even more severe security threats upon themselves."

Regarding the United States, she said, "The U.S. is the very culprit destroying peace and stability in the region," and criticized, "The current U.S. administration's talk of 'diplomatic engagement' and 'unconditional dialogue' is nothing but hypocrisy to conceal their aggressive intentions."

She added, "We will further accelerate strengthening our national defense capabilities and powerful preemptive strike abilities to swiftly respond to any military actions."

Vice Director Kim stated, "I am issuing this statement under authorization," implying that the content reflects the will of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party.

She also raised the demand for the withdrawal of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, which North Korea had not mentioned for some time.

She emphasized, "For peace to settle on the Korean Peninsula, the invading forces and war equipment deployed by the U.S. in South Korea must first be removed," and "As long as U.S. troops remain stationed in South Korea, the root cause of periodic deterioration of the situation on the Korean Peninsula will never be eliminated."

In diplomatic circles, Vice Director Kim's remarks are analyzed as North Korea's attempt to further strengthen its close relationship with China amid U.S.-China tensions.

Earlier, Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of diplomacy, publicly opposed the South Korea-U.S. military exercises and called for easing sanctions on North Korea at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held online on the 6th.

However, no signs of North Korean provocations have been detected yet.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, "We are closely monitoring related developments under tight cooperation between South Korea and U.S. intelligence agencies," and added, "There are no additional activities to report at this time."

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