By asserting that North Korea can strike the U.S. mainland, South Korea’s unification minister risks amplifying Kim Jong Un’s propaganda narrative despite unresolved technical doubts—fueling concerns that Pyongyang may be leveraging blackmail or coercion to shape political behavior in Seoul. A t a recent press briefing in Berlin, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong‑young stated , “North Korea has become one of only three countries capable of striking the U.S. mainlan