North Korea has issued a fresh warning against the United States and South Korea, claiming that the duo’s joint military drills would ultimately lead to “destruction” of the Korean peninsula.
Such a move is widely viewed as Pyongyang’s attempt to lay the groundwork for advancing in nuclear capabilities, but one analyst notes that it could also be aimed at the domestic audience for “internal cohesion.”
Calling the South a “puppet” and a “mad dog,” the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper said Monday that Seoul has been “obsessed with provoking an invasion war” by issuing “belligerent statements” over the past weeks.
“Observing the war exercises conducted in just over a month, the extent of the puppet’s war frenzy becomes self-evident,” the paper added, claiming that Seoul’s joint drills with the U.S. as a “reckless” action, destined to lead to “destruction.”
The statement comes as a series of joint military exercises had been conducted by the U.S. and South Korea last month. Although Washington and Seoul assert that the drills are defensive in nature, Pyongyang has denounced the exercises as “invasion practices,” perceiving them as a significant threat to the security of its regime.
Shortly after the report, the South promptly refuted the claim.
South Korea’s unification ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam emphasized during a briefing on Monday that it was North Korea that bears responsibility for escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
Koo expressed Seoul’s official regret, saying that it sees the report as an “unilateral criticism.”
The North’s claim is widely viewed as its attempt to lay a groundwork for rationalizing its nuclear development amid its inability to match the allies’ conventional capability.
An analyst also weighed that North Korea may be communicating predominantly towards its internal audience in rationalizing its leader Kim Jong Un’s policy line of advancing his nation’s nuclear capability.
“Currently, North Korea is in a period of summarizing its overall, annual national achievements,” said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Korea's presidential office. “By highlighting what-it-claims as a threat posed by the allies’ security coordination, North Korea is justifying Kim Jong Un’s policy to enhance nuclear capabilities.”
Cheon also noted that the move may also help bolster North Korea’s internal unity, signaling that the policy of enhancing nuclear capabilities will continue in the coming years.
“Both the South Korean and U.S. governments should avoid excessively escalating the situation,” the pundit warned. “Efforts are needed to manage the situation stably.”
North Korea has recently set up Guard Posts armed with weapons along its border with the South, with some viewing it as part of Pyongyang's strategy to put pressure on Seoul, which may lead to further provocative actions at the frontline.
Edited by Taejun Kang and Elaine Chan.