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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies

North Korea would ‘annihilate’ South if provoked, warns Kim Jong-un’s sister

Kim Yo-jong and Moon Jae-in
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, seen here in 2018 speaking to former South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Kim berated Seoul for the second time in days. Photograph: Bae Jae-man/AP

The influential sister of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has said the country’s nuclear forces would “annihilate” the South Korean military if it launched a pre-emptive strike against the regime.

Kim Yo-jong, who holds several senior positions in the government and ruling party, said the North had no intention of starting a second Korean war, but would respond if provoked and leave the South’s military in a state of “total destruction and ruin”.

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