South Korea held an emergency security meeting Sunday after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister threatened military action against a neighboring country.
Kim Yo Jong, who is a trusted aide to his brother, called South Korea an “enemy” on Saturday night and warned that he would allow the military to decide how to respond to dissidents from North Korea who sent back propaganda and food.
“I give instructions to the arm of the department responsible for dealing with the enemy to expressly take further action,” he said in a statement to state media.
His statement prompted South Korea’s national security director, Chung Eui-yong, to hold an emergency video conference on Sunday morning with the minister in charge of security and military generals, according to the president’s office.
The Unification Ministry, which handles relations with North Korea, later said the government “takes the current situation seriously.”
“South Korea and North Korea must try to respect all inter-Korean agreements reached,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Defense Ministry also said separately that it was closely monitoring the North Korean military – and that it itself was ready to respond.
Relations between North and South Korea have deteriorated in recent months, with some experts claiming Pyongyang was frustrated by the lack of progress in nuclear talks with the Trump administration – negotiations supported by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
With Post cable
