After more than two months of disregard, North Korea today (Tuesday) responded to the US administration’s request with threats and harsh words. Kim Yoo Jong, a senior administration official and the ruler’s sister, Kim Jong Un, was the one who conveyed Pyongyang’s message to the Biden administration and said during a state television broadcast that the Biden administration should “avoid stinking policies as a first step towards North Korea”.
“We take this opportunity to warn the new administration in the United States that it is trying to spread the smell of gunpowder in our country. If you want to sleep soundly, avoid adopting a stinking policy as a first step toward us,” Kim said.
Kim was referring to a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, which is expected to take place next week. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken landed in Seoul today with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The two met in Tokyo with senior Japanese government officials and promised to work for a “full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Military cooperation between Seoul and the United States was perceived by North Korea as a direct military threat to its security and the country had previously demanded that the United States stop conducting such exercises.
Kim’s speech is the first time North Korean citizens have heard of a change of government in the United States from the official media, after Biden’s victory in the election was not reported by the state press in the country.