Kim Yo-jong Issues Statement After 3 Months, Warns US of "Facing a Critical Crisis" (Summary)

"ICBM Launch, Exercise of Inviolable Self-Defense Rights"
North Korea Condemns Joint Statement as "A Dog Barking Out of Fear"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Kim Yo-jong, Vice Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a statement targeting the United States. She condemned the convening of an open meeting of the UN Security Council in response to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch as a "clear double standard," and harshly criticized the joint off-site statement condemning North Korea as a "scared barking dog."

This is the first time in three months that Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, has issued a statement since expressing rejection of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's denuclearization roadmap, the "Bold Initiative," in August. As the younger sister of the supreme leader who oversees diplomatic affairs and exerts influence through external messages, Kim's statement draws attention to the possibility of further provocations by North Korea.

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea [Photo by Yonhap News]

In the statement released on the 22nd through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim directly attacked, saying, "On the 21st, under the instigation of the United States, the UN Security Council held an open meeting to pick a fight over our new intercontinental ballistic missile 'Hwasong-17' test launch."

She argued, "The UN Security Council deliberately ignored the dangerous military exercises and excessive military build-up that the United States and South Korea are busily conducting against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and instead mentioned our inviolable exercise of self-defensive rights in response, which is a clear double standard."

In particular, she ridiculed, "What is laughable is that immediately after the Security Council's open meeting ended, the United States could not hide its displeasure and, leading a ragtag group including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, issued a disgusting 'joint statement' to vent their frustration over their sinister plans not being realized," adding, "It is a spectacle that cannot be helped but compared to a scared barking dog."

She then stated, "Our government strongly condemns the reckless acts of the United States and its reactionary followers as a violent infringement on our sovereignty and a serious political provocation aimed at pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula into a new crisis phase."

Furthermore, she asserted, "We will never tolerate anyone who nitpicks our exercise of self-defensive rights to protect national security and will respond with the utmost firmness until the end," emphasizing, "No matter how much the United States struggles to disarm us, our right to self-defense can never be harmed, and they must remember that the more they persist in hostile acts against the Republic, the more they will face a deadly security crisis."

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

On the 21st (local time), the UN Security Council convened an open meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York to discuss responses to North Korea's ICBM launch but adjourned again without any visible achievements.

Western countries led by the United States, along with South Korea and Japan, strongly condemned North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches and called for a unified official response at the Security Council level. However, China and Russia once again repeated their existing stance blaming the United States for North Korea's military provocations and acted uncooperatively.

As expected, with no significant conclusions reached, ambassadors from 14 countries including South Korea, the United States, and Japan issued a joint off-site statement immediately after the meeting condemning North Korea's provocations and urging denuclearization. Additionally, the United States announced plans to propose a Security Council presidential statement condemning North Korea's ICBM launch.

Earlier, on the 18th, North Korea launched the ICBM 'Hwasong-17' from the Sunan area in Pyongyang toward the East Sea, which is believed to be capable of striking the entire US mainland.

Meanwhile, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of General Secretary Kim Jong-un, issued a statement for the first time in three months after expressing rejection of the Bold Initiative in August. As the supreme leader's sister who oversees diplomacy including inter-Korean and US relations, her external message is drawing attention as a threat of a "deadly security crisis" targeting the United States, possibly signaling a seventh nuclear test or additional ICBM launches.

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