Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has accused the United States and South Korea of “destroying the stability” of East Asia. Her remarks came as the two countries commenced their annual 10-day joint military exercises, known as “Freedom Shield,” on the Korean Peninsula, which she claims pose a direct threat to North Korea's security.
In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo Jong warned: “The muscle-flexing of the hostile forces near the areas of our state’s sovereignty and security may cause unimaginably terrible consequences.” She added, “The enemies should never try to test our patience, will and capability,” emphasizing that North Korea would closely monitor the actions of what she termed the “hostile entities.”
The military maneuvers involve 18,000 South Korean and US personnel and are designed to, as United States Forces Korea stated, “enhance the combined, joint, all-domain, and interagency operational environment, thereby strengthening the Alliance’s response capabilities.” However, Kim Yo Jong dismissed this justification, asserting that the exercises have no valid basis and maintain a clear confrontational nature, regardless of how they are framed by Washington and Seoul.
Kim Yo Jong further argued that in the context of global geopolitical crises, military actions by adversary states blur the lines between defense and attack, as well as between training and actual warfare. This comment appeared to reference the ongoing tensions involving the US and Israel with Iran, highlighting broader regional instability. The exercises occur amid a technically unresolved state of war on the peninsula since the 1953 armistice, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un having reportedly abandoned reconciliation efforts with South Korea earlier this year.
An anonymous official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, speaking to Yonhap News Agency, described Kim Yo Jong’s statement as relatively muted by North Korean standards. The official noted that the remarks did not directly mention the US or include threats of nuclear weapon use, suggesting a measured response that takes into account the current security landscape on the Korean Peninsula.
Source: www.aljazeera.com