Kim Yo Jong warns Japan over Tomahawk test, says N.K. military to set up additional options

Published Aug 5, 12:15 PM UTC

On August 5, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a statement warning Japan over its first live-fire test of a U.S.-supplied Tomahawk cruise missile, conducted by the Japanese navy from the Aegis destroyer Chokai on July 29. Kim accused Japan, which she called a 'war criminal state,' of accelerating its transformation into a 'war state' and said Tokyo's push for preemptive strike capability has entered 'the stage of the actual act.' She criticized Japan's military buildup as contrary to international law and its constitution, and blamed the U.S. for enabling the test. Kim announced that North Korea's armed forces would set up 'additional military options' in response, without providing details. The warning came amid Japan's ongoing military expansion, including the purchase of 400 Tomahawk missiles, and was followed by a North Korean short-range ballistic missile launch on August 6.