NORTH Korea‘s powerful figure, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, has issued a strong statement, accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy and vowing never to negotiate over the country’s sovereignty.
Kim Yo Jong reportedly inspected satellite images of a U.S. naval base in San Diego and a Kadena air base in Japan, taken by the recently launched “Malligyong-1” spy satellite.
The move comes as a response to U.S. criticism of the satellite launch, with Washington condemning it as a “brazen violation” of UN sanctions.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, made a rare appearance at the Security Council, dismissing concerns raised by the U.S. and South Korea.
He stated that only Washington and Seoul were troubled by Pyongyang deploying a satellite and defended North Korea’s actions as its “legitimate right” to develop, test, manufacture, and possess weapons equivalent to those possessed or developed by the United States.
“It is a legitimate right for the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] as another belligerent party to develop, test, manufacture and possess weapons systems equivalent to those that the United States possesses or is developing,” according to Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN.
The United States had criticized North Korea for the satellite launch, citing it as a threat to regional peace and stability.
But Kim Yo Jong argued that it was Washington’s “double standards” and “high-handed and arbitrary practices” that were detrimental to peace in the region.
She also dismissed Washington’s calls for a return to diplomacy and warned of more satellite and other weapons launches.
“[North Korea] will continue to make efforts to develop everything belonging to its sovereign rights and continue to exercise the sovereign rights, enjoyed by all the member states of the U.N., in a dignified manner without being restricted in the future, too,” Kim Yo Jong, Sister of Kim Jong Un stated.
