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North Korea criticized U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over his call for renewed dialogue on the Korean Peninsula, accusing him of taking a “biased and irresponsible position” as tensions rise along the inter-Korean border.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and head of the ruling Workers’ Party’s General Affairs Department, said Pyongyang’s military fortification work along its southern border was an exercise of its right to self-defense, according to state-run KCNA.
She accused South Korea of obstructing the construction and then attempting to blame North Korea for escalating tensions.
Kim also argued that Guterres had repeated Seoul’s position without fully establishing the facts.
She said that if the U.N. chief genuinely wanted to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, he should better understand the situation and hold South Korea responsible.
Kim added that Guterres would share responsibility if actions by the South Korean military led to an incident along the border.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Nov. 5 that Guterres remained concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the possibility of escalating tensions across the Demilitarized Zone.
Guterres urged the parties to restore communication channels, including military-to-military contacts, to reduce the risk of unintended accidents or miscalculations.
Dujarric said diplomatic engagement and renewed dialogue remained the only path toward easing tensions and achieving sustainable peace on the peninsula.
Tensions between North and South Korea escalated after three South Korean soldiers were injured in a land mine explosion inside the DMZ on Sept. 21, with Seoul blaming Pyongyang for the incident.
North Korea denied responsibility and warned that it would respond “immediately and mercilessly” if its soldiers came under fire.
On Oct. 19, Kim Yo Jong accused what she called “South Korean military thugs” of creating a “serious” situation of instability along the southern border.
She said North Korea was considering increasing the number of tactical offensive weapons deployed near the border and resuming loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts that had been halted last year.
South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Yong-sung, meanwhile, instructed troops during a visit to a frontline unit to respond decisively if North Korea carried out new provocations.
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