North Korea said on Friday that South Korea would become a “decisive target” for collective retaliation if it served as a central hub in a US-led collective defence system, state media KCNA reported.
– In a KCNA commentary, Kang Chol Su, described as a department director at the Institute for Enemy State Studies, accused Washington of turning its ally South Korea into a base for pursuing global hegemony and using it as a platform to deploy first in overseas conflicts.
– Kang cited remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea portraying South Korea as a key centre of collective defence and criticised joint drills and US deployments.
– The commentary said Pyongyang had prepared countermeasures and would ruthlessly crush challenges to its security.
– US Forces Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
– The United States stations about 28,500 military personnel in South Korea to help deter aggression from North Korea.