North Korea has warned that it will use nuclear weapons to strike South Korea if it was to launch an attack first.
The comments by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, come after South Korea’s defence minister said his country’s military has missiles that could “accurately and quickly hit any target” in North Korea.
Ms Kim, a senior government official, said it was a “very big mistake” for Suh Wook to make the remarks, according to KCNA, a state news agency.
Pyongyang opposes war, which would leave the peninsula in ruins, and does not view South Korea as its principal enemy, she said on Tuesday.
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“But if South Korea, for any reason – whether or not it is blinded by misjudgement – opts for such military action as
the ‘preemptive strike’ touted by [Mr Suh], the situation will change,” Ms Kim added.
“In that case, South Korea itself will become a target.”
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Both countries have increased displays of military strength this year, with North Korea test-firing a range of powerful missiles.
Officials in South Korea and the US also fear the North may be preparing the resume nuclear weapon tests for the first time since 2017.
On Sunday, North Korean officials condemned Mr Suh’s comments Suh and warned that Pyongyang would destroy major targets in Seoul, the South’s capital, if the country was to take any “dangerous military action”.
Comments may be aimed at incoming president
It is thought Ms Kim’s comments may be aimed at Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s incoming president, who has called for a more muscular defence against North Korean threats.
Rachel Minyoung Lee, an analyst with the US-based 38 North project, said: “North Korea has thus far refrained from criticising Yoon at an authoritative level, but it certainly seems to be laying the groundwork for it.”
The statements suggest Pyongyang is preparing its people for a possible shift in Korean relations once Yoon takes office in May, she added.
