North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has warned that the annual military drills between South Korea and the United States (US) next month will undermine prospects for improved ties between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Kim Yo Jong, the Vice Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, released a statement on Sunday through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). She said: “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. I view this as an undesirable prelude that seriously undermines the will of the top leaders of the north and the south wishing to see a step taken towards restoring mutual trust and which further beclouds the way ahead of the north-south relations.” She added that the North Korean government and military “will closely follow whether the South Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decisions.”
The military drill, which takes place between the US and South Korea every year, involves combined command post-training focused on computerised simulations to prepare the militaries of the two allies for various battle scenarios, such as a surprise North Korean attack. Typically, the annual drill sees tens of thousands of troops on both sides and combines computer simulations with field training. However, last year, the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of the US troops invited from abroad.
Kim Yo Jong’s comments come days after the two Korean sides made significant progress in rebuilding bilateral relations. Last week, South and North Korea restored cross-border communications in a surprise move that the two countries said was part of rebuilding trust. The hotline had been cut off for over a year. The KCNA welcomed the “positive effects” of the decision, which it said represented “a big stride in recovering mutual trust and promoting reconciliation.” However, NK News reported Kim Jong-un accusing the Blue House, the executive office and official residence of South Korea’s head of state, of “inflating the significance” of last week’s reconnection of hotlines and called their interpretation of the development “hasty.” In addition, both governments have also been in talks to reopen a joint liaison office to hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations. The office is a crucial symbol of inter-Korean cooperation that Pyongyang demolished last year.
The upcoming military exercise between the US and South Korea may threaten the recent progress made by the two Korean sides to improve bilateral ties.