North Korea Slams S. Korean Minister's Talk Of 'Preemptive Strike'

Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister and vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, is pictured as she visits Ho Chi Minh mausoleum in Hanoi, in this file photo dated March 2, 2019. (Yonhap) 

Yonhap News Agency: Kim Yo-jong slams S. Korean minister's talk of 'preemptive strike,' warns of serious consequence 

SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lambasted South Korea's defense chief for talk of "preemptive strike" capabilities and warned that the South may face a "serious threat" for such a "senseless" remark, according to Pyongyang's state media Sunday. 

In her rare press statement issued the previous day, Kim Yo-jong called South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook a "senseless and scum-like guy" for mentioning a preemptive strike at a "nuclear weapons state." 

Last Friday, Suh publicly stressed that his troops have the capabilities to "accurately and swiftly" strike the origin of North Korea's missile firing as well as command and support facilities in the case of clear signs of a launch toward the South.  

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North Korea Slams S. Korean Minister's Talk Of 'Preemptive Strike'  

Kim’s sister enraged by Seoul’s preemptive strike comments -- AP  

North Korea threatens retaliation after 'preemptive strike' comment from South Korean official -- FOX News  

North Korea Warns of 'Full-Blown War' if More 'Reckless' Remarks From South -- Newsweek

North Korean Leader's Sister Warns South Korea To Stop Defectors From Scattering Anti-North Leaflets

DW: North Korea: Kim's sister threatens to end military pact over leaflets

The North Korean leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has issued a warning to South Korea over anti-Pyongyang leaflets. She has threatened to also shut down a liaison office and an industrial park.

North Korea warned that it would end a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement if the South fails to stop defectors and activists from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two countries.

The warning was issued on Thursday by the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, who unofficially serves as Kim Jong Un's chief of staff.

She said the military pact reached in 2018 was "hardly of any value.”

Kim Yo Jong also said the North could permanently shut a liaison office with the South and an inter-Korean industrial park in the border town of Kaesong — both have represented reconciliation between the rivals.

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WNU Editor: The threats worked .... South Korea vows to end border protests after Kim Jong Un’s sister’s threat (NYPost). The interesting thing about this story was that it was the North Korean leader's sister who issued the threat. I take this as a signal on her growing role in the government, and the defacto second in command.

More News On North Korean Leader's Sister Warning South Korea To Stop Defectors From Scattering Anti-North Leaflets

North Korea Threatens to Halt Military Agreement Over Anti-Pyongyang Leaflets Sent by Defectors -- Time/AP
North Korea warns South Korea to stop defectors from scattering anti-North leaflets: KCNA -- Reuters
Kim Yo-jong warns South Korea to tackle 'evil' propaganda balloons -- Guardian
'Human scum': North Korea says leaflets put Seoul pact at risk -- Al Jazeera

South Korea's Military Spending Has North Korea Worried

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the testing of a super-large multiple rocket launcher in North Korea, in this undated photo released on September by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Experts say South Korea's military expansion is worrying the North. [KCNA via Reuters]

Reuters: Buying a big stick: South Korea's military spending has North Korea worried

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and North Korea have continued to pour resources into modernizing their militaries despite a frenzy of diplomacy since 2018, data shows, creating a point of tension that has sharpened as talks have stalled.

Military buildups on both sides of the heavily fortified border between the two nations have come to the forefront with recent short-range missile launches by North Korea, perfecting an arsenal it says is necessary to defend against new South Korean weapons.

On Wednesday North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised on Tuesday the test firing of a large multiple-rocket launch system, a type of weapon analysts say threatens forces in South Korea.

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Update: South Korea military spending spikes, has North Korea worried (Al Jazeera)

WNU Editor: North Korea may be worried about South Korean military spending, but one can also say that South Korea is worried on what North Korea's military is doing.

Suspected North Korean Drone Spied On U.S. Anti-Missile Defense System In South Korea

South China Morning Post: Suspected North Korean drone photographed US THAAD missile site before crash

Investigators discovered hundreds of photos from the drone’s Sony-made in-built camera

A drone suspected to be from North Korea had taken aerial photos of the US THAAD anti-missile defence site in South Korea before it crashed on its way back.

Seoul’s Defence Ministry said Tuesday investigators discovered hundreds of photos from the drone’s Sony-made in-built camera.

The ministry said they include 10 photos of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile launchers and a radar system installed in the southeastern town of Seongju earlier this year. It says the rest are mostly photos of residential areas, farming fields and other less-sensitive areas in the South.

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More News On That A Crashed North Korean Drone Spied On The U.S. Anti-Missile Defense System In South Korea

North Korean Drone Photographed U.S. THAAD Site -- AP
Suspected North Korea drone spied on U.S. anti-missile system: South Korea officials -- Reuters
Suspected North Korean drone photographed advanced U.S. missile defense site, report says -- Washington Post
South Korea discovers drone spying on US anti-missile system -- DW
Suspected North Korean drone spies on US anti-missile system before crashing, South Korea says -- ABC News Online
Suspected North Korea drone spied on US missile defense site, South Korea says -- FOX News
N. Korean drone spied on THAAD site: military -- The Korea Herald
Suspected N. Korean drone photographed THAAD site: S. Korean military -- Yonhap News Agency
THAAD Site Under Threat By North Korea? South Korea Accuses Pyongyang Of Spying Using Drone In Seongju Region -- International Business Times
Suspected N. Korean drone snapped THAAD photos – S. Korean officials -- RT
Seoul Finds North Korean Drone Spying on THAAD Site -- Sputnik

North - South Korean Diplomats 'Scufle' At UN Meeting In Geneva

Korean Delegates Scuffle At UN Meeting in Geneva -- Voice of America

South Korean lawmakers clashed with a North Korean diplomat on Monday outside a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Switzerland.

The scuffle broke out when a delegation of South Korean politicians approached North Korea's ambassador to Geneva, So Se-pyong, after he rejected the contents of a U.N. report on human rights abuses by Pyongyang.

Security guards quickly broke up the scuffle and at least one official was reported to have been briefly detained.

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Update #1: South Korean lawmakers scuffle with North Korean delegates at UN human rights meeting -- Washington Post/AP
Update #2: Diplomat punched at UN human rights meeting -- The Telegraph

My Comment: There is bad blood between the two countries .... especially from the South who legitimately see many of their cousins suffering in the North.

BREAKING: Major Artillery Exchanges Between The Two Koreas. Fears Of An Escalating War

North and South Korea Exchange Fire, Killing Two -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Tuesday after dozens of shells fired from the North struck a South Korean island near the countries’ disputed maritime border, South Korean military officials said. Two South Korean soldiers were killed, 15 were wounded and three civilians were injured, said Kiyheon Kwon, an official at the Defense Ministry.

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WNU Editor: A full summary and news roundup will be posted at 9:00 AM EST