Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Friday warned the United States to abandon what she referred to as a “hostile policy” against Pyongyang.
In a statement issued by North Korea’s state media, Jong further defended North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, labelling it an act of self-defence.
The missile test conducted by North Korea involved a solid-fuel missile that travelled approximately 1,001 kilometres (622 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 6,648 km before landing in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
Analysts have noted that the trajectory of this test suggests the missile’s potential capability to reach the mainland United States.
Kim Yo Jong emphasized that if the United States does not change its stance towards North Korea, the country will persist in establishing an overwhelming nuclear deterrence.
She characterized the missile launch as an exercise in self-defence, aimed at safeguarding the Korean peninsula from the threat of nuclear warfare.
Kim Yo Jong criticized the United Nations Security Council’s response to the launch, deeming it unfair and biased.
Furthermore, she accused US military surveillance jets of violating North Korean airspace, cautioning that such actions could result in their interception.
In response to North Korea’s series of missile tests this year, South Korea and the United States have intensified their security cooperation, affirming that any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang against the allies would be met with a nuclear response.
