United States: Ms. Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong-un, has issued a warning regarding the recent agreement between the United States and South Korea. According to Ms. Kim, the deal will result in an increased threat to the region.

State media has reported that Ms. Kim Yo-jong declared that North Korea’s nuclear deterrent “must be further perfected” in response to the recent deal between the United States and South Korea. To counter nuclear threats from North Korea, the United States has consented to deploy nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea and incorporate Seoul in its nuclear planning, as per recent reports.

In exchange, South Korea has agreed not to pursue the development of its own nuclear weapons, according to recent reports. During discussions between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol, in Washington D.C. this week, an agreement known as the Washington Declaration was announced, as reported recently.

In regards to the Washington Declaration, Ms. Kim Yo-jong remarked, “The more that our adversaries persist in conducting nuclear war exercises and deploy nuclear assets near the Korean peninsula, the more our exercise of the right to self-defence will be strengthened in direct proportion to their actions.” This was reported recently by state media.

As part of the Washington Declaration, the United States has committed to sending a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in four decades, in addition to other assets such as bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as recently reported. These actions will serve to make the US defence commitments more apparent. Additionally, the United States and South Korea will form a Nuclear Consultative Group to discuss matters pertaining to planning, according to recent reports.

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