Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, issued the warning, stating that North Korea is "always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment."
The threat came as the U.S. and South Korea continued conducting joint military exercises, which North Korea describes as "provocations."
March 07, 2023
In a statement reported by state media, Kim Yo Jong said, "The demonstrative military moves and all sorts of rhetoric by the U.S. and South Korea, which go so extremely frantic as not to be overlooked, undoubtedly provide (North Korea) with conditions for being forced to do something to cope with them." She also warned that "there is no guarantee that there will be no violent physical conflict" if the exercises continue.
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March 07, 2023
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the flyover, with an unnamed ministry official calling it a reckless provocation that pushes the peninsula "deeper into the bottomless quagmire."
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South Korea’s Defense Ministry defended the use of the B-52’s deployment in Monday’s training, saying it demonstrated the capabilities of the U.S. and South Korea to deter North Korean aggressions. This was not the first time the U.S. had sent a long-range B-1B bomber or multiple B-1Bs to the peninsula.
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The joint military exercises were canceled or scaled back during previous diplomatic attempts and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have since ramped up, especially in light of North Korea bolstering its ballistic missile program, conducting a record number of missile tests, and openly threatening to use its nuclear weapons.
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Last month, Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would continue its missile testing, going as far as to say her country would turn the Pacific into a missile firing range. On Tuesday, she repeated that North Korea would regard any effort by the U.S. to stop one of their intercontinental ballistic missiles as an act of war.
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The situation in the region remains tense, with North Korea continuing to advance its nuclear program and the U.S. and South Korea increasing their military exercises. The South Korean and U.S. militaries have announced that they will restore their springtime field exercises and conduct a computer-simulated command post training from March 13-23. The massive springtime exercise was previously canceled by former President Donald Trump in 2018.
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The joint military exercises are viewed as necessary by the U.S. and South Korea to deter North Korean aggression. However, North Korea sees them as a direct threat to its security and has repeatedly called for their cancellation. The escalating tensions between the two countries increase the likelihood of a military conflict, which could have disastrous consequences for the region and the world.
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The situation on the Korean Peninsula is complicated by the historical disputes between South Korea and Japan. Earlier this week, South Korea announced an agreement with Japan to ease the dispute and boost trilateral Seoul-Tokyo-Washington security cooperation. Part of the plan was Japanese compensation to Koreans that were used as forced labor under Tokyo’s colonial rule. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel commended the leaders of South Korea and Japan, saying that the "potential of collaboration into the future is more important and has a greater value and realizing you have to deal with historic issues."
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