Kim Yo-jong mentions 'Yoon Impeachment Petition' as "the greatest crisis of power"

Resumption of Normal Military Training Met with 'Enemies' Fireplay'
"War Energy on the Verge of Explosion... Suicidal Recklessness"

Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean Workers' Party Deputy Director considered to be the "mouthpiece of Kim Jong-un," raised claims of a "crisis of rule" while mentioning an impeachment petition against President Yoon Suk-yeol. This is interpreted as an attempt to incite inter-Korean conflict by criticizing the resumption of military exercises near the border by our forces.

In a statement released on the 8th, Deputy Director Kim said, "The world should pay attention to the fact that the number of citizens petitioning for the initiation of an impeachment motion against Yoon Suk-yeol has surpassed one million," and claimed, "Yoon Suk-yeol and his faction, cornered by the worst crisis of rule, are attempting an 'emergency escape' amid escalating tensions." She continued, "Despite domestic and international condemnation and rejection of warmongers, they continuously create security anxieties in the region, foster a war atmosphere, and ultimately do not hesitate to conduct live-fire exercises in the dangerously sensitive border area, and this is precisely why."

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of North Korea

During the Moon Jae-in administration, military exercises in the border area were suspended following the September 19, 2018 military agreement, but the military resumed maritime live-fire exercises near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) on the 26th of last month. On the 2nd of this month, artillery exercises were conducted within 5 km south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).

The exercises were resumed after six years due to the suspension of the military agreement's effectiveness following North Korea's provocations with trash balloons. However, North Korea claimed that the government is creating "security anxieties" to overcome a political crisis. Deputy Director Kim's statement was also published on page 4 of the Rodong Sinmun, which is read by North Korean citizens.

Deputy Director Kim repeatedly asserted, "No one can now deny the fact that the person elected as president by the people has placed the fate of the Republic of Korea on a Chilseongpan (a wooden board placed at the bottom of a coffin)." She added, "One must judge for themselves what the end of this desperate warmongering arrogance will be," and threatened, "If warmongers are judged by our standards to have infringed upon the sovereignty of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or to have committed acts tantamount to a declaration of war, the mission and duties entrusted to our armed forces by the Republic's constitution will be carried out without delay."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is receiving an explanation about the carrier-based aircraft, including the F/A-18, the main fighter jet of the aircraft carrier, and various equipment from Christopher Alexander, Commander of the U.S. Navy's 9th Carrier Strike Group, on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt at the Busan Naval Operations Base. The USS Roosevelt arrived at the Busan Naval Operations Base on June 22 to participate in "Freedom Edge," the first multi-domain military exercise involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
[Photo by the Office of the President]

She also referred to our military as "Korean military thugs," criticizing, "The shameless enemies have not stopped there and have announced that they will regularly conduct artillery and maneuver unit exercises in our border areas, especially large-scale joint field maneuvers and combined army-navy firing exercises, and various other military drills on a grand scale." Regarding our military's normal exercises, she defined them as "an unmistakable provocative act of escalating tensions that cannot be justified by anything, blatantly carried out at the doorstep of our nation by the enemies' reckless games."

In particular, referring to the recent first trilateral multi-domain military exercise 'Freedom Edge' conducted by South Korea, the United States, and Japan, she said, "It clearly showed that the United States and hostile forces aiming for military dominance over the region are crossing dangerous lines." She further criticized, "The war energy is excessively accumulated and on the verge of explosion," calling it "a suicidal arrogance that insists on conducting war exercise commotions near the border area, risking tremendous disaster."