North Korean leader’s sister criticizes US-South Korea for proceeding with joint drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday criticized the United States and South Korea for proceeding with their annual joint military exercises at a perilous moment for global security, and warned that any challenge to the North’s safety would bring “terrible consequences.”

The statement by Kim Yo Jong came a day after the allies started their 11-day Freedom Shield exercise involving thousands of troops, while Washington participates in an escalating war in the Middle East.

Without directly referring to the Iran war, Kim said the U.S.-South Korea drills undermine regional stability at a time when the global security structure is “collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world due to the reckless acts of outrageous international rogues.”

Freedom Shield is one of two annual command post exercises conducted by the militaries of the United States and South Korea. The largely computer-simulated drills are designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities, while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges. Freedom Shield will be accompanied by a field training program called Warrior Shield.

Mentioning the country’s expanding nuclear program, Kim Yo Jong said that North Korea will continue to bolster its “destructive power” against what it sees as external threats and “constantly and repeatedly convince the enemies of our war deterrence and its fatality.”

North Korea has long portrayed the allies’ joint drills as invasion rehearsals and often used them as a pretext to ramp up its own military demonstrations or weapons tests. The allies say the exercises are defensive in nature.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung acknowledged that some U.S. “air defense weapons” based in South Korea could be relocated, but said that such moves wouldn’t seriously undermine defenses against North Korea. His comments followed media speculation that the United States was moving some Patriot missile defense systems and other equipment from South Korea to support operations in the Middle East.

“Our government has expressed opposition to such moves, but it’s also an undeniable reality that we cannot fully control the situation according to our wishes,” Lee said at a Cabinet meeting.

Last week, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry described the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression” carried out under the pretext of “fake peace.”

Amid a yearslong diplomatic freeze with Washington and Seoul, Kim Jong Un has increasingly framed his foreign policy around the idea of a new Cold War, deepening ties with Moscow and Beijing, while portraying Pyongyang as part of a united front against Washington.

Pyongyang and Tehran were among the few governments to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s all-out war in Ukraine, and both have been accused of supplying Russia with military equipment. Aside from munitions and missiles, North Korea also has sent thousands of soldiers to fight alongside the Russians.

Separately, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said that it believes train services between Pyongyang and Beijing will resume this week for the first time in six years. after being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea and China had already resumed rail operations between border towns, mainly for trade, after the North began easing border restrictions in 2022. It remains unclear whether the renewed services between their capitals will result in increased exchanges, including tourism in North Korea.

While prioritizing Russia in foreign policy, Kim has also sought to strengthen ties with China, the North’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline. He traveled to Beijing last September and held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.