AiBotPYONYANG, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA – In a rare public statement, Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has responded to allegations by a top US official that Pyongyang is responsible for a series of cyberattacks on American targets. The remarks were made during a high-level meeting in Seoul earlier this week, where US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman accused North Korea of being involved in the hacking incidents.
Kim Ju Ae, who is widely regarded as one of the most visible members of North Korea’s elite, has long been associated with high-profile international engagements, including meeting with senior Chinese officials and traveling to Russia for diplomatic missions. In her statement, she dismissed the US accusations as baseless and an attempt to distract from Washington’s own failures in the cyber realm.
“It’s time for the US to focus on its own problems,” Kim Ju Ae said in a statement delivered through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “We have better things to do than go round spying on them. The notion that we would engage in such activities is laughable.”
Experts warn that the spat between Pyongyang and Washington highlights the escalating tensions between the two countries. North Korea has been accused of carrying out a string of high-profile cyberattacks in recent years, including a devastating hack on South Korea’s cryptocurrency exchange in 2017. Washington, meanwhile, has long accused Pyongyang of attempting to steal sensitive information from US companies and government agencies.
Kim Ju Ae’s statement appears to be a carefully calibrated response aimed at downplaying the significance of the US allegations. Her remarks were notable for their lack of aggression, which some analysts see as a sign that Pyongyang remains committed to its long-held diplomatic stance of pursuing a more isolated, if not antagonistic, path.
“This isn’t a full-throated denial, but rather a carefully crafted explanation,” said Joshua Lee, a North Korea specialist at the Seoul-based think tank, Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “The Kim regime is trying to send a message that it won’t be drawn into an escalating cycle of threats, but instead prefers to focus on more practical, tangible issues.”
Kim Ju Ae’s response may serve as a benchmark for North Korea’s response to future US allegations, which could be used to deflect attention from more sensitive issues or diplomatic overtures. As tensions between Pyongyang and Washington ebb and flow, her remarks may offer a glimpse into the North Korean leader’s strategy for navigating the treacherous waters of cyber diplomacy.