Advertisement
North’s Kim Yo-jong warns US-South Korea war games will undermine ties
- Her statement comes days after the North and South restored a hotline in a bid to mend relations
- Regular drills between Seoul and Washington have been a long-running source of animosities on the Korean peninsula
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
The powerful sister of North Korea’s leader on Sunday warned that next month’s annual military drills between South Korean and US troops would undermine prospects for better inter-Korean ties, just days after they reopened their communication channels.
Kim Yo-jong’s statement carried by state media targets only South Korea, and this could add credence to a theory that the North’s decision to restore the communication lines is aimed at pushing Seoul to convince Washington to make concessions while nuclear diplomacy remains deadlocked.
“For some days I have been hearing an unpleasant story that joint military exercises between the South Korean army and the US forces could go ahead as scheduled,” Kim Yo-jong said.
Advertisement
“I view this as an undesirable prelude which seriously undermines the will of the top leaders of the North and the South wishing to see a step taken toward restoring mutual trust and which further beclouds the way ahead of the North-South relations,” she said.
“Our government and army will closely follow whether the South Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decision.”
Regular drills between Seoul and Washington have been a long-running source of animosities on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang calling them an invasion rehearsal and responding with missile tests. South Korea and the United States have repeatedly said their drills are defensive in nature.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x