“Fueling Rage by Barking” Kim Yo-jong Responds to Criticism of the Poor Quality of the North’s Reconnaissance Satellite

Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, criticized South Korean authorities and experts who pointed out the poor quality of the North’s reconnaissance satellite image and development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and said, “They had better stop barking and take caution and think carefully,” on December 20.

In a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong gave the warning and said, “They have been trying to find faults with us for a year since the beginning of the year. It must not be enough for them, because they still have not stopped with the year end approaching.” This was the sixth statement released by Kim this year, and it came a month after a statement on November 24 criticizing the South for promoting separate sanctions against the North.

The deputy director said, “Anyone with a mouth has been running us down on our coverage of an important test in the development of the reconnaissance satellite, which we released yesterday,” and criticized, “I would like to really know if their people are citizens who are tricked by such nonsense and reckless arguments, who turn away believing what they hear.”

Kim continued and said, “Poor quality? It’s not the malicious criticism that first strikes my ears, but the stench rising from their throats and coming out of their mouths.” She also said, “They are so anxious to belittle our technical skills that I’m already curious as to how they will attack us when our military satellite fulfills its mission soon.”

Kim Yo-jong mentioned the South Korean military and said, “The announcement by the military hoodlums is really something. They claim that the launch to test our satellite development conducted the day before yesterday was the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile,” and criticized, “Whenever I see those hoodlums appear and insist on their views, it is amazing how shameless and daring they are in making stubborn arguments, as if they were the ones who conducted the test.”

The North Korean leader’s sister also spoke about the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile launched on November 18 and said, “It is obvious that they will try to undermine our strategic weapons capability with arguments, such as ‘You need to fire at the actual angle and can’t prove it just by launching at a lofted angle.’” She added, “We can try that soon and they will know when they see.”

Kim also attacked the Ministry of Unification. She asked, “How did the puppet unification ministry disparage the crucial test in our satellite development?” and said, “They blurted out things like ‘It is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolution and a serious provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threatens security and peace in the region,’ just as they memorized day and night like an answering machine.”

Kim argued that North Korea would not stand idly and watch as they are robbed of their legal rights as a sovereign state and made it clear that they would offer their lives if necessary to exercise their just rights. “Moreover, the development of a military satellite is an urgent task directly linked to the safety of our nation, before it is an issue of legitimate rights of a sovereign country,” she stressed.

Deputy Director Kim warned the South Korean unification ministry to be careful with what they said, and argued, “Instead of reciting clauses of an illegal ‘resolution’ that we never once recognized--I’ve already said this--instead of insisting on that outrageous delusion, that pathetic ‘bold initiative,’ it would be better to concentrate on stabilizing the current situation, which is escalating fiercely due to the two sides provoking each other’s feelings.”

Kim added, “Surely, they are not really wild dogs. Yet I truly cannot understand why they continue to bark and fuel our anger--how does that benefit them--not knowing that no matter how much they bark it will not solve anything.”