2On September 20, 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a speech at the annual high-level United Nations(UN) General Assembly. [1] On September 25, 2023, North Korea called South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ‘a man with a brain like garbage ‘ and a ‘diplomatic fool’ and criticized him for warning of a “nuclear attack”.[2]
On September 20, 2023, in his speech at the UN General Assembly, Yoon said that South Korea “will not stand idly by” if North Korea and Russia make arms deals that pose a threat to the South.[3]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia in early September to meet with President Vladimir Putin and visit key military facilities raised international concerns about nuclear cooperation between the two countries.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that “the puppet traitor Yoon Suk Yeol maliciously slandered the relations between North Korea and Russia even at the 78th UN General Assembly.” Without addressing concerns about possible arms deal with Russia, KCNA said that it is “quite natural” and a “legitimate right” for neighbouring countries to maintain close relations with each other. [4]
KCNA stated the following:[5]
“It is obvious that such a man with a brain like garbage is incapable of understanding the deep and immense meaning of the development of friendly relations between North Korea and Russia. No one in the world will listen to the hysterical outburst of Yoon Suk Yeol, a puppet and traitor who has the shameful reputation of being ‘politically immature’, ‘diplomatic idiot’ and ‘incompetent general director’.”
South Korean Unification Ministry Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said that the KCNA insults show North Korea’s “substandard system that lacks basic etiquette and common sense.”[6]
Since taking office last year, Yoon has sought to strengthen South Korea’s military alliances with the United States, drawing serious reactions from North Korea. Again on September 25, 2023, according to the statement made by the South Korean Navy, the South Korean and US navies started three-day joint naval exercises on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula in order to improve their joint operational capacity. North Korea sees the South Korea-US military exercises as a rehearsal for invasion and often reacts with its own missile tests. [7]
The United States and South Korea have warned that Russia and North Korea face uncertain consequences if they enter arms transfer agreements in violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning all forms of arms trade.[8]
On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in his speech at the UN, Yoon stated the following:[9]
“It is paradoxical that a permanent member of the UNSC, entrusted as the ultimate guardian of world peace, would invade another sovereign country, wage war, and receive arms and ammunition from a regime that openly does so. It also violates UNSC resolutions.”
Yoon said that it would also be unacceptable if North Korea “obtains the necessary knowledge and technology” to develop weapons of mass destruction in exchange for giving conventional weapons to Russia.[10] As a result, tensions between the West and North Korea in general and South Korea and North Korea in particular continue to increase. The statements also prove this. It can be predicted that Yoon’s statements at the UN literally ignited the tension and that there will be a more provocative North Korea in the Asia-Pacific in the short term.
[1] “S Korea’s Yoon Tells UN that RUSSİA Helping N Korea Would be ‘Provocation’”, Al Jazeera, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-yoon-highlight-illicit-nkorea-russia-military-ties-un-2023-09-20/, (Erişim Tarihi: 21.09.2023).
[2] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-south-yoon-un-speech-ea195877b3acbfdc30379a026b14d571, /, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[3] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-calls-south-leader-guy-trash-brain-slams-un-speech-rcna117130, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[4] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-south-yoon-un-speech-ea195877b3acbfdc30379a026b14d571, /, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[5] North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’, Tribune India, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/north-korea-calls-south-koreas-leader-a-guy-with-a-trash-like-brain-as-it-slams-his-un-speech-547585, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[6] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-calls-south-leader-guy-trash-brain-slams-un-speech-rcna117130, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[7] North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’, Tribune India, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/north-korea-calls-south-koreas-leader-a-guy-with-a-trash-like-brain-as-it-slams-his-un-speech-547585, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[8] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-south-yoon-un-speech-ea195877b3acbfdc30379a026b14d571, /, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[9] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-calls-south-leader-guy-trash-brain-slams-un-speech-rcna117130, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
[10] “North Korea Calls South’s Leader A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ As it Slams His UN Speech”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-south-yoon-un-speech-ea195877b3acbfdc30379a026b14d571, /, (Erişim Tarihi: 25.09.2023).
