North Korea Threatens South with Nuclear Strike

Tensions in the Korean peninsula have sharply escalated recently after North Korea tested two ballistic missiles involving a new ICBM system the country is developing, triggering a response from neighboring South Korea.

How did South Korea respond?
On April 1, South Korean defense minister Suh Wook said his country’s military has a variety of missiles with significantly improved firing range, power, and “the ability to accurately and quickly hit any target in North Korea.” Calling the North the “enemy,” Suh added his ministry will actively support the military to ensure it has the capability to respond overwhelmingly to North Korea’s missile threats.

How did the North react to that?
On Monday, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the government, called Suh’s remarks a “very big mistake,” and promised her country would unleash its nuclear weapons if the South were to violate “even an inch of North Korean territory.” Pyongyang conducted a full ICBM test, its first since 2017, on March 24.

The U.S., in its response, said it would push the United Nations Security Council to “update and strengthen” sanctions on North Korea over its “increasingly dangerous provocations.”