North Korean official warns South Korea will face collective punishment
North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies chief Kang Chol-su condemned a U.S. Forces Korea commander’s comment, saying Seoul will become a target of collective punishment.
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Kang Chol-su, section chief of North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies, sharply criticized a recent speech by U.S. Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson. Brunson had highlighted South Korea's role as a central element of the U.S.-ROK alliance’s collective defense strategy. Kang described the United States as revealing a "gangster-like" nature, exploiting Seoul as a key base for its regional dominance and labeling the alliance a cover for aggressive world-hegemony.
He warned that this positioning makes the Republic of Korea a prime target for collective punishment. The North Korean official framed South Korea’s participation as a voluntary, costly war-servant role that endangers the nation.
Why it matters
The statement signals heightened North Korean hostility toward South Korea’s security ties with the United States.
How this story developed
- Sep 20 North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea amid diplomatic tensions
- Sep 20 A second projectile was identified as an unidentified type rather than a short‑range ballistic missile.
- Sep 21 South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in New York for a trilateral discussion on economic and security issues.
- Sep 22 North Korean state media did not report the missile launches.
- Sep 22 The ministers released a joint statement reaffirming denuclearisation commitment and defence guarantees.
- Sep 22 The Songdowon International Children’s Camp in Wonsan is slated for EU sanctions after evidence showed Ukrainian minors were exposed to Russian-aligned propaganda and militaristic indoctrination.
- Sep 23 President Lee presented a three‑stage denuclearisation roadmap and pledged Seoul would help restart U.S.–North Korea talks.
- Sep 24 Zelenskyy publicly announced the transfer of the two North Korean POWs at the UN General Assembly.
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