Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, berated Washington for ramping up “provocations” and asserted that what Washington is doing is justified if Pyongyang keeps bolstering its nuclear deterrence efforts, state news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.
Kim denounced the latest deployment of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to South Korea as part of a wider “policy of confrontation” against the North. The aircraft carrier pulled into the port city of Busan on Sunday in what the navy of South Korea referred to as a display of force against Pyongyang.
“The US has strengthened its political and military provocations against the DPRK since the new government came to power this year, continuing the hostile policy of its predecessor,” Kim declared, referring to North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
She also added that Washington’s strategy provides North Korea with “adequate justification” to continue expanding its nuclear powers indefinitely in retaliation.
Hostilities in the area have been on the rise with North Korea increasing its arms program, with America and South Korea continuing their combined military training as well as sending naval fleets into the region. Pyongyang has made constant claims about Washington engaging a hostile policy towards it, yet American authorities state that they seek to maintain the military in the area only in order to forestall danger coming from North Korea.
