North Korea is intensifying its hostility toward South Korea by claiming that a South Korean drone infiltrated Pyongyang’s airspace and dropped anti-North Korean leaflets.
On Monday, North Korea’s state-run newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured a front-page statement in which Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, harshly criticized the South Korean Ministry of National Defense the previous night. The statement was titled “Reckless Challenge Hysteria Will Hasten the Miserable End of the ROK.”
Kim Yo Jong condemned the South Korean defense ministry’s mention of the end of the regime, calling it an unforgivable and heinous challenge, and labeled it a major criminal act that aims to ignite the fuse for war. She specifically warned that “The military gangsters of the ROK should refrain from acting rashly,” urging South Korea to avoid provoking other nations’ airspace.
Some analysts interpret Kim Yo Jong’s message to indicate that she does not want to escalate the situation. This is evident from her conditional warning to “guarantee the prevention of recurrence of such provocation.”
The Rodong Sinmun front page also featured a statement from a spokesperson for North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. The statement, titled “Gambling With the Lives of People Will Result in Miserable Ruin,” warned of severe consequences if South Korea continues what Pyongyang perceives as provocations.
On the same day, North Korea’s military ordered artillery units to be fully prepared for combat, directing them to strike immediately if they detected any drones.
An article on page two of the newspaper, titled The Korean People Are Outraged, reported widespread anger across North Korea over the alleged drone incursion. The article claimed that South Korea’s military actions were reckless and warned that they could ignite the fuse for nuclear war.
Since Kim Jong Un declared in December last year that North Korea would no longer view South Korea as a partner for unification, the regime has increasingly characterized inter-Korean relations as a hostile standoff between two separate states. North Korea’s continued use of terms like “southern border” reinforces this shift, reflecting a strategic effort to portray the relationship as adversarial.
Analysts believe that North Korea’s focus on the issue of anti-North Korean leaflets is part of a calculated move to justify its hostile stance and bolster Kim Jong Un’s narrative of South Korea as an enemy state.
Most Commented