North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s sister, Kim Woong-jung, vice minister of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, warned the new U.S. administration and Seoul authorities against any “hostile action” against Pyongyang, or there would be bad times ahead. The warning was apparently a gesture by Pyongyang authorities in response to the upcoming visit of the U.S. secretaries of state and defense to Seoul to meet with senior South Korean officials.
“We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration, which seeks to unleash the smell of ammunition on our soil, that if it wants to sleep peacefully for the next four years, it had better not invite wrongdoing at the outset,” Kim Woong-jung was quoted as saying by North Korean official media KCNA on Tuesday (March 16, 2021).
Kim and Jung also condemned the annual joint spring military exercises being conducted by the United States and South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea announced the launch of the joint exercise a few days ago, but because of the impact of the new crown Epidemic and to continue to create opportunities to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue with diplomatic efforts, the exercise is smaller in scale and largely a computer simulation push.
U.S. President Joe Biden had described Kim Jong Un as a thug during his campaign, saying he would only meet with him on the condition that Pyongyang authorities agree to reduce their nuclear forces. But since taking office on Jan. 20, the Biden Administration has been cautious about North Korea in public.
White House spokesman John Sachs confirmed Monday that the Biden administration has tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels but has received no response, adding that there has been no contact between Washington and Pyongyang for more than a year.
A classified U.N. report shows that it was during this period that North Korea violated international sanctions by “producing fissile material, maintaining nuclear facilities and upgrading its ballistic missile infrastructure.”
Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin are visiting Japan and South Korea in hopes of spotlighting China’s growing military threat. Speaking to reporters on his way to Asia, Austin said, “China is our primary threat. Our goal is to make sure we have the capabilities, the operational plans and the concepts to be able to create a credible deterrent to China or anyone who wants to counter the United States.”
Observers say North Korea’s threat from Kim and Jong at this Time will undoubtedly force senior U.S. officials to consider the North Korean nuclear issue as a major topic on their trip to Asia as well.
Both White House and State Department spokesmen said Monday that the Biden administration is continuing to assess North Korea policy, including ongoing consultations with Japanese and South Korean allies in an effort to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue diplomatically.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times during his presidency, but ultimately failed to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Recent Comments