Pyongyang says it will consider as a declaration of war any attempt by the superpower to shoot down its test missiles
07 March 2023 - 11:41
byHyunsu Yim and Josh Smith
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Kim Yo Jong (second row, far right), sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, attends a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on February 26 2023 Picture: KCNA VIA REUTERS
Seoul — North Korea would consider as a declaration of war any move to shoot down one of its test missiles and blamed joint military exercises between the US and South Korea for growing tensions, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement Pyongyang would see it as a “declaration of war” if the US took military action against the North’s strategic weapon tests.
She also hinted that the North could fire more missiles into the Pacific Ocean. The US and its allies have never shot down North Korean ballistic missiles, which are banned by the UN Security Council, but the question drew new scrutiny since the North suggested it would fire more missiles over Japan.
“The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominium of the US or Japan,” Kim said.
Analysts have said that if the North follows through on its threat to turn the Pacific Ocean into a “firing range”, it would allow the isolated and nuclear-armed state to make technical advances in addition to signalling its military resolve.
In a separate statement, the chief of the foreign news section at North Korea’s foreign ministry accused the US of “aggravating” the situation by conducting a joint air drill with a B-52 bomber on Monday and planning US—South Korea field exercises.
In response, South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said Pyongyang’s “reckless nuclear and missile development” was to blame for the deteriorating situation.
The US deployed the B-52 bomber for a joint drill with South Korean fighter jets, in what South Korea’s defence ministry said was a show of force against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
The two countries will conduct more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises known as the “Freedom Shield” drills from next week.
On Tuesday, US and South Korean warplanes practised taking off quickly, in a drill designed in response to the North's threats to destroy airfields, Yonhap news agency said.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, leaving the countries technically still at war.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
North Korea issues strong warning to the US
Pyongyang says it will consider as a declaration of war any attempt by the superpower to shoot down its test missiles
Seoul — North Korea would consider as a declaration of war any move to shoot down one of its test missiles and blamed joint military exercises between the US and South Korea for growing tensions, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement Pyongyang would see it as a “declaration of war” if the US took military action against the North’s strategic weapon tests.
She also hinted that the North could fire more missiles into the Pacific Ocean. The US and its allies have never shot down North Korean ballistic missiles, which are banned by the UN Security Council, but the question drew new scrutiny since the North suggested it would fire more missiles over Japan.
“The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominium of the US or Japan,” Kim said.
Analysts have said that if the North follows through on its threat to turn the Pacific Ocean into a “firing range”, it would allow the isolated and nuclear-armed state to make technical advances in addition to signalling its military resolve.
In a separate statement, the chief of the foreign news section at North Korea’s foreign ministry accused the US of “aggravating” the situation by conducting a joint air drill with a B-52 bomber on Monday and planning US—South Korea field exercises.
In response, South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said Pyongyang’s “reckless nuclear and missile development” was to blame for the deteriorating situation.
The US deployed the B-52 bomber for a joint drill with South Korean fighter jets, in what South Korea’s defence ministry said was a show of force against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
The two countries will conduct more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises known as the “Freedom Shield” drills from next week.
On Tuesday, US and South Korean warplanes practised taking off quickly, in a drill designed in response to the North's threats to destroy airfields, Yonhap news agency said.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, leaving the countries technically still at war.
Reuters
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