Kim Jong Un’s sister threatened Tuesday that North Korea would “target” South Korea in the event of it carrying out the “fantastic daydream” of a pre-emptive strike against the regime. However she said the hermit state would not attack the South without provocation. It was the second statement in days by Kim Yo Jong, a powerful and influential figure in the government. On Sunday, she called South Korea’s defense minister, Suh Wook, a “scum-like guy”, after he said Seoul could “accurately and quickly hit any target in North Korea.” In the new statement, Kim said, “Unless the South Korean army takes military action against our state, it will not be regarded as a target. But if South Korea, for any reason—whether or not it is blinded by misjudgment—opts for such military action as the ‘preemptive strike’ touted by (Suh Wook), the situation will change. In that case, South Korea itself will become a target.” The North is believed to be ramping up pressure as South Korea prepares to inaugurate a new, conservative and confrontational president, Yoon Suk Yeol, replacing the liberal and conciliatory Moon Jae-in.