North Korea on Wednesday stated South Korea and the United States missed an opportunity to enhance relations and are risking a “serious security crisis” by selecting to escalate tensions as they conduct joint army drills.
Kim Yong Chol, a normal and politician who performed a number one function throughout historic summits between North Korean chief Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump, criticized South Korea and the United States for responding to Pyongyang’s goodwill with “hostile acts”.
The assertion comes a day after Kim Yo Jong, the highly effective sister of chief Kim Jong Un, warned Seoul and Washington over annual joint army drills set to start this week. For the second day in a row, North Korea didn’t reply routine calls on inter-Korean hotlines, South Korea stated on Wednesday.
The hotlines had been solely reconnected on the finish of July, greater than a yr after the North severed them amid rising tensions. The sudden resumption in inter-Korean calls adopted a collection of letters between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, however the brand new flare-up casts doubt on Moon’s objective of enhancing relations with Pyongyang on this final yr of his presidency. It additionally raises the prospect of latest North Korea missile exams, one thing Pyongyang has usually achieved prior to now to sign its displeasure.
Kim Yong Chol singled out Seoul for what he stated was a missed alternative to enhance inter-Korean relations by going forward with the drills. The South should be made to “clearly understand how dearly they have to pay” for selecting their alliance with Washington over peace between the Koreas, he stated within the assertion carried by state information company KCNA. “We will make them realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice,” Kim stated.
U.S. President Joe Biden has stated it’s as much as Pyongyang to answer his pledge to hunt “practical” methods to have interaction. North Korea has additionally stated it’s open to diplomacy, however that the United States and South Korea have clung to hostile insurance policies, corresponding to persevering with to carry common army drills.
Analysts stated Pyongyang could also be utilizing sharp rhetoric to spice up its leverage in future talks, wring concessions from South Korea, or distract from home financial crises.
“The Kim regime is shifting blame for its struggles to restart the economy after a long, self-imposed pandemic lockdown,” stated Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of worldwide research at Ewha University in Seoul. “Pyongyang is also trying to pressure South Korean presidential candidates to express differences with U.S. policy on sanctions and denuclearization,” he added.
