North Korea warns of nuclear response if South provokes it

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated South Korea for touting preemptive strike capabilities against the North, saying her country’s nuclear forces would annihilate the South’s conventional forces if provoked. It was the second recent statement Kim Yo Jong directed at South Korea Defense Minister Suh Wook. She said his comments about preemptive strikes were the “hysteria of a lunatic.” Seoul has long maintained a preemptive attack strategy to cope with North Korean threats, but the public remarks in the current administration were unusual. South Korean President Moon Jae-in leaves office in May and will be replaced by conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who openly discussed the preemptive attack strategy on North Korea during his campaign.