North Korea Targets Seoul and Tokyo Back-to-Back: Fear of Upsetting the "Balance of Power"

[Anchor]

Let's dive deeper into other North Korea-related issues with reporter Kim Ayeong.

Kim, I understand North Korea has been criticizing Japan day after service recently?

[Reporter]

I counted the number of Japan-related critical articles published in the Rodong Sinmun, which is read by North Korean citizens, this month.

As of the 13th, there were 11 cases.

Tomorrow (the 15th) happens to be Liberation Day, and this is just the count excluding criticisms specifically about the Japanese colonial period.

What North Korea is particularly criticizing are signs of change in Japan's so-called three non-nuclear principles.

Japan has maintained a national policy of "not possessing, not manufacturing, and not introducing nuclear weapons."

However, speculation has been steadily rising that the provision against introducing nuclear weapons might be re-examined following Prime Minister Takaichi's inauguration.

The Rodong Sinmun has kept Japan in check, stating, "Japan's attempts to possess nuclear weapons must be cut off decisively from the root."

[Anchor]

Didn't they also issue a warning the day before yesterday regarding our government's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines?

[Reporter]

That statement from the day before yesterday is worth examining in connection with North Korea's criticism of Japan.

Let's break down the contents of the statement issued by Chang Kum-chol, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the 10th Bureau in charge of inter-Korean affairs.

He threatened that South Korea's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines could trigger a nuclear domino effect in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, and warned that if South Korea pushes ahead with nuclear-powered submarines, it will be met with a retaliatory attack leaving no chance of survival.

North Korea's continuous backlash against the military moves of Japan and South Korea can be interpreted as a concern that the balance of power in Northeast Asia might be upset.

They appear to believe that they have secured a certain degree of power balance through the U.S. nuclear umbrella and their own nuclear weapons, but they harbor a sense of crisis that a different situation could unfold if nuclear weapons are introduced into Japan or if South Korea acquires nuclear-powered submarines.

Since North Korea already possesses nuclear weapons, some might view this perception as completely backward.

Basically, the nuclear-powered submarines we are pursuing use nuclear energy for propulsion and do not carry nuclear weapons.

(Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.