Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, described the Seoul authorities on Tuesday as "treacherous" due to the joint military exercises being conducted by South Korea with the United States, warning both allies that they will face greater security threats as a result. These statements by Kim Yo-jong come despite a sudden improvement in relations between the two Koreas following exchanges of messages between her brother and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Last month, both sides had resumed cross-border communication after a break of over a year and announced efforts to improve relations. However, Kim Yo-jong, her brother's chief advisor, deemed the South "treacherous" for conducting "dangerous" joint military exercises with Washington this month, which North Korea has long viewed as preparation for an invasion.
In a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang, she said, "I take this opportunity to express my deep regret over the treacherous treatment of the South Korean authorities." Her statement coincided with the beginning of preliminary drills by the U.S. and South Korean militaries on Tuesday ahead of their annual summer exercises next week.
She stated that through these exercises, Seoul and Washington "will undoubtedly face greater security threats," and that North Korea would enhance its defensive and preventive capabilities. The United States has approximately 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea under a defense treaty in the face of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.
South Korea and the U.S. had significantly scaled back their joint annual military exercises to facilitate nuclear talks with Pyongyang. South Korean President Moon is credited with mediating the historic first summit between North Korea and a U.S. president during his term in Singapore in June 2018. However, North Korea largely severed ties with Seoul following the collapse of the second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in Hanoi, which left nuclear negotiations stalled.
