Photo : YONHAP News
Anchor: North Korea has launched harsh rhetoric against an Armed Forces Day event where the South Korean military put its capabilities on display earlier this week. The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, reiterated that he will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if an enemy attempts to encroach on its sovereignty, lambasting President Yoon Suk Yeol over comments about “ending” the regime in Pyongyang.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has lashed out at President Yoon Suk Yeol for threatening to end his regime, calling into question whether the president is mentally competent.
The North’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) issued a report Friday about Kim’s visit to a special operations training event two days ago, where he responded to Yoon’s Armed Forces Day speech earlier this week.
Calling the South Korean president a puppet, Kim stated that Yoon’s threat to deliver an overwhelming military response against a nuclear-armed state made him suspect that Yoon “may not be in good condition.”
The state-run media quoted Kim as saying he will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if the enemy attempts to encroach on the country’s sovereignty by force.
During his Armed Forces Day speech Tuesday, Yoon said any attempt by North Korea to use nuclear weapons will result in the “end of the regime.”
To mark the occasion, South Korea demonstrated an array of military assets at a parade, showcasing Hyunmoo-5 bunker busters and other notable weapons.
Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister, mocked the military parade in a statement Friday, calling it a “clown show.”
She said the Hyunmoo-5 and the other weapons displayed at the parade are insignificant in the face of the North’s nuclear capabilities.
The South Korean defense ministry downplayed the remarks from the Kim family, saying that there is nothing new in the North’s renewed threat.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.