North Korea Won’t Warn South Korea About Attacks

Condemns Anti-North Korea Rally in Seoul

North Korean officials say that they would not give any advance notice before launching “retaliatory action” against South Korea, suggesting that three solid weeks of daily threats didn’t register to them as a “warning.”

The announcement came through North Korea’s state media, and officials said it was in response to a “rally” against North Korea held in Seoul, terming it a “monstrous criminal act” since North Korea is celebrating its founder’s birthday.

The rally reportedly was organized by South Korean conservative factions, and included publicly burning effigies of the Kim family. The North Korean government sought an apology for the rally, which seems unlikely.

Kim Il-sung’s birthday is celebrated as a three-day state holiday in North Korea, and the nation held major outdoor dances, music concerns and sporting events to celebrate.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.