Foreign Ministry Responds to Kim Jong Un’s ‘Annihilate South Korea’ Remarks with Critique

In response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s definition of South Korea as a hostile nation and his mention of mobilizing all means to annihilate South Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized on the 10th, “It’s just wordplay to talk about ‘annihilating South Korea’ on the premise that South Korea has never used force against North Korea.”

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official warned on the same day, “We will firmly respond to any provocation from North Korea.” He pointed out, “Attempts to artificially create tension on the Korean Peninsula will ultimately harm the North Korean regime itself.”

A Unification Ministry official leveled criticism at Kim Jong Un, pointing out that his recent remarks about ‘war’ during a military factory inspection underscored his ongoing ambitions for military unification with South Korea. The official condemned North Korea’s focus on war preparations, interpreting it as evidence of the regime’s fear and anxiety in response to the strengthening of deterrence measures, including the U.S.-ROK extended deterrence.

An official stated, “North Korea has been consistently attempting various actions to escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including threats of military provocations against us since the party’s plenary meeting earlier this year.” He went on to say, “North Korea’s reckless behavior represents a longstanding tactic aimed at destabilizing our society, diverting discontent with the North Korean regime outward, and inciting anti-South sentiment among North Korean residents to avoid internal crises.”

He issued a warning, declaring, “The government strongly condemns these actions and demands that North Korea immediately cease its reckless military threats and psychological warfare against South Korea.”

Furthermore, he stressed, “With a foundation of the strong U.S.-ROK alliance, we will respond firmly to any provocation and will consistently pursue the normalization of inter-Korean relations based on principled approaches.”

Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency reported that, during his visit to a crucial military factory on the 8th and 9th, Kim stated, “I won’t be the sole decision-maker for a major crisis on the Korean Peninsula through overwhelming force, but I also don’t intend to evade the possibility of conflict.”

Kim Jong Un declared that if South Korea were to use force or threaten sovereignty and safety, there would be no hesitation in utilizing all available means and capabilities to eradicate it. Furthermore, he labeled South Korean nationals as the enemy, intensifying the rhetoric.

By. Yoon Sun Choi