Why Is North Korea Silent on the ‘Death Penalty Demand for Yoon’?...Instead, It Denounces the Ministry of Unification as Having ‘Pipe Dreams’ and Being ‘Thugs’

[Financial News] North Korea has remained silent without issuing any particular statement on the demand for the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol. On the 14th, North Korean propaganda outlets continued their silence regarding the special prosecutor’s request the previous day that former President Yoon Suk Yeol be sentenced to death. This cautious stance by North Korea is similar to its response at the time of former President Chun Doo-hwan’s death sentence and the impeachments of former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk Yeol.
The main reason cited for North Korea’s silence is growing speculation that the North Korean leadership fears the will for democratic resistance. In other words, it is seen as stemming from anxiety over the possible collapse of the Kim Jong Un regime.
North Korea also issued no separate official statement or commentary when former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law at the end of 2024 and when the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled in April 2025 to remove him from office through impeachment. Instead, state media such as the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) carried only a brief factual report about a day later, merely stating that “in the puppet South Korean regime, the Constitutional Court has ruled on the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol.” It maintained a neutral tone, avoiding any discussion of political turmoil or critical interpretation.
Likewise, when former President Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death in 1996 and when former President Park Geun-hye was impeached in 2017, North Korea refrained from issuing official commentaries or detailed reports, limiting itself to brief factual coverage.
A source familiar with North Korea cautiously predicted, “There is a possibility that North Korea will again either remain silent or limit itself to brief reporting when the first-instance verdict on former President Yoon Suk Yeol is handed down.”
However, North Korea has taken a sharply contrasting stance by immediately condemning the Ministry of Unification (MOU)’s statement on North Korea. Kim Yo Jong showed an unusual level of speed by issuing a rebuttal statement less than half a day after the MOU’s briefing on inter-Korean relations the previous day.
Kim Yo Jong retorted, “No matter what kind of pipe dream they may be having, it will not change the reality of relations between the two Koreas.” In her statement, she mocked, “I watched as South Korea’s Ministry of Unification presumptuously assessed my statement as leaving room for communication and easing tensions,” adding that they are “pathetic beyond words.”
She went on to say, “Let me make it clear once again to the thugs of the hostile state,” declaring, “The Seoul authorities must acknowledge and apologize for their provocation violating the sovereignty of the Republic and take measures to prevent a recurrence,” and warning, “They must not forget that if provocations against our sacred and inviolable sovereignty are repeated, they will pay an unbearable price.”
A Ministry of Unification official, speaking to reporters on the morning of the previous day, commented on Kim Yo Jong’s recent remarks about the North Korean drone incident, saying, “It seems that, unlike with the previous administration, she may be expecting our government to have the ability to resolve the issue,” and interpreted her statement by adding, “If you look at Kim Yo Jong’s statement, she is demanding that we explain the results of the investigation. We see this as leaving room for dialogue.”

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter