This statement was made in response to the Washington Declaration, which was issued by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden on April 26, 2023.
The Washington Declaration involved the bolstering of the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea, which has become increasingly concerned about North Korea’s aggression. The agreement would also involve the regular deployment of strategic assets, including a nuclear ballistic submarine visiting a South Korean port for the first time in decades.
However, Kim Yo Jong warned that this agreement would only result in making peace and security of Northeast Asia and the world more exposed to serious danger. She argued that the more the enemies stage nuclear war exercises and deploy nuclear assets in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula, the stronger their right to self-defense would become.
North Korea has continued to defy years of sanctions to work on its banned nuclear and missile programs. Last year, it declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power, effectively ending the possibility of denuclearization talks. In response, Washington and Seoul have ramped up defense cooperation, staging joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and high-profile US strategic assets.
Kim Yo Jong also criticised the age and capability of US President Joe Biden, referring to him as an “old man with no future” who was “not at all capable of taking the responsibility” of serving out the remainder of his office term. She also called South Korean President Yoon a “fool”. The South Korean government condemned her statement, calling it “far-fetched” and reflecting the North’s nervousness and frustration.
Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korea Studies at the Sejong Institute told AFP that Kim’s statement indicates military tensions around the Korean peninsula could escalate dramatically, similar to the tension seen in 2017. The statement also represents Pyongyang’s strong protest at Biden’s remark that the North would face the end of the regime if it carried out a nuclear attack, he said.
