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North Korean leader`s sister Kim Yo-jong (Yonhap) |
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday accused South Korean President Moon Jae-in of being "foolish" and warned of "complete destruction" of inter-Korean relations for branding Pyongyang's weapons tests a "provocation."
The statement from Kim Yo-jong came shortly after Moon said that South Korea's upgrading of its missile capabilities can help deter North Korean provocation following the successful underwater test-launch of an indigenous SLBM at a local test site.
"If the president's reported slip of tongue is true, he would be quite foolish as president of a country. We express great regret over the president using the word provocation that reporters use thoughtlessly," Kim said.
"If the president joins in slandering the other party, it will inevitably result in counteractions, which will then be sure to lead to the complete destruction of relations between North and South Korea," she said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim, however, left room for change in inter-Korean ties, saying "that is not what we hope for."
"It's better to be careful about what you do and say," she said.
Earlier in the day, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, just days after successfully test-firing a newly developed long-range cruise missile.
Kim blasted Moon for calling the launches a "provocation,"saying they were "normal self-defense act."
"What we are engaged in right now is not a provocation as speculated by South Korea ... It is a normal self-defense act aimed at implmenting the key tasks of a five-year plan on defense science development and weapons system development." (Yonhap)
