The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday denounced South Korea's resumption of live-fire artillery drills near the border as "suicidal hysteria" and warned of possible military actions against such acts.
The South has conducted live-fire artillery exercises near the land and sea borders in recent weeks after fully suspending an inter-Korean 2018 military tension reduction agreement that bans such maneuvers and other acts deemed hostile against each other.
Kim Yo-jong, vice department director at the ruling Workers' Party, called the drills "an inexcusable and explicit provocation' against North Korea, saying that a "touch-and-go situation" prevails on the Korean Peninsula.
"Clear to everyone is the riskiness of the above-said reckless live ammunition firing drills of the ROK army coming nearer to the border of the DPRK under such situation," Kim said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The ROK is the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea, and the DPRK is the acronym of the North's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Kim claimed that South Korea has been destabilizing the regional security situation, as President Yoon Suk Yeol is attempting an "emergency escape" out of "the worst ruling crisis" by raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula with provocative acts in border areas.
In what would be an attempt to drive a wedge in South Korea, she pointed out that the number of South Koreans demanding the National Assembly propose a bill on the impeachment of Yoon has surpassed the 1 million mark on parliament's petition website.
"Anyone cannot but acknowledge that the president, elected by people, has made the fate of the ROK hang by a thread," she said.
Calling the South Korean military's resumption of the live-fire drills "suicidal hysteria," Kim warned of potential military actions against an act that North Korea will regard as provocative.
"In case it is judged according to our criteria that they violated the sovereignty of the DPRK and committed an act tantamount to a declaration of war, our armed forces will immediately carry out its mission and duty assigned by the DPRK Constitution."
In a parliamentary meeting in January, Kim Jong-un warned if South Korea violates "even 0.001 millimeters" of the country's territorial land, air and waters, it will be considered a war provocation.
North Korea is expected to revise the constitution at the next parliamentary meeting to define South Korea as the North's "primary foe" and clarify its territorial boundaries, including the maritime border.
South Korea's unification ministry said it is "very regrettable" that North Korea has criticized President Yoon and is seeking to intervene in South Korea's internal affairs.
"We are making it clear that North Korea's attempt to drive a wedge in our society will never work," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.
South Korea's defense ministry stressed the live-fire drills were "normally" conducted under prearranged plans.
"Our military conducted normal firing drills within our jurisdiction," Jeon Ha-kyou, the defense ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing. "Going forward, we will continue to conduct them in accordance with our plans." (Yonhap)
