North Korea's Kim Yo Jong warned that Pyongyang will deploy "additional military options" after Japan test-fired a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile. She accused Japan of shifting from a defensive stance to pre-emptive and overseas capabilities and blamed the United States for enabling the buildup. Analysts say the rhetoric could be used to justify North Korea's own weapons demonstrations, including missile or undersea displays.
Kim Yo Jong Warns Of "Additional Military Options" After Japan’s Tomahawk Test
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, arrives at the Vostochny Сosmodrome before a meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY.
SEOUL, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned on Wednesday that Pyongyang would adopt "additional military options" in response to what she described as Japan's transformation into a full-fledged military power following Tokyo's test-firing of a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile.
In a statement carried by state news agency KCNA, Kim accused Japan of abandoning a purely defensive posture and reshaping its armed forces into a force capable of pre-emptive strikes and overseas operations. She cited Japan's Tomahawk launch from the Aegis destroyer Chokai in the Pacific, other recent missile tests, and Tokyo's participation in a U.S.-led combined military exercise in the Philippines in May.
What Kim Said
"We should make it regret," Kim said, warning that North Korea would act in ways that make Japan feel its security is exposed to greater danger.
Kim also accused the United States of facilitating Japan's military buildup by supplying Tomahawk missiles, modifying ships to operate them and supporting related tests. "The U.S. is behind such dangerous military moves of Japan," the statement said.
Why It Matters
Kim, who heads the record-keeping department of North Korea's ruling party, argued that Japan's acquisition of long-range strike capabilities effectively places North Korea and neighbouring countries within range. Without offering details, she said Pyongyang "will set up additional military options" to counter what it sees as potential threats from Tokyo.
The remark is part of a wider pattern of criticism from Pyongyang about growing security cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan. Since July, KCNA has published multiple editorials and commentaries denouncing joint military activities as destabilising and as raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Analysts' Take
Analysts say North Korea is framing Japan's military modernisation as a direct security threat to help justify its own weapons development. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Kim's comments portray Tokyo's steps as part of a broader U.S. strategy to strengthen proxy capabilities against Pyongyang. Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies warned the messaging could lay the groundwork for future North Korean demonstrations, including missile tests or displays of undersea strike capabilities.
(Reporting by Heejin Kim and Kyu-seok Shim; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Daniel Wallis and Ed Davies)
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