{
  "id": 9673025,
  "title": "N. Korean official says S. Korea to become target of 'collective punishment'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/n-korean-official-says-s-korea-to-become-target-of-collective-9673025",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T02:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260925/n-korean-official-says-s-korea-to-become-target-of-collective-punishment"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "North Korea has denounced remarks made by a senior U.S. military official, claiming South Korea will now be targeted for collective punishment. This assertion was made by Kang Chol-su, a senior official at North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies, in a commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kang labeled the United States as displaying its \"gangster-like nature\" by using South Korea as a key base to pursue its hegemonic strategy and as pawns in regional conflicts.\n\nSpeaking about the reconfiguration of security on the Korean peninsula, Kang emphasized the necessity for both South Korea and the U.S. to cooperate in confronting threats from outside sources. He highlighted that this move is a clear demonstration of an attempt to abandon the false pretext of defending South Korea, which has been used to justify the existence of U.S. military presence on the peninsula.",
  "summary": "North Korea on Friday condemned a recent remark made by the top commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) that South Korea plays a decisive center for collective defense, noting Seoul will instead become a target of punishment. The statement came from Kang Chol-su, section chief of North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies, in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "N. Korean official says S. Korea to become target of 'collective punishment'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/n-korean-official-says-s-korea-to-become-target-of-collective",
        "published": "2026-09-25T00:16:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "N. Korean official says S. Korea to become target of 'collective punishment'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/n-korean-official-says-s-korea-to-become-target-of-collective-9669391",
        "published": "2026-09-25T01:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}