North Korea's Kim Yo Jong Warns US-South Korea Drills Could Bring 'Unimaginably Terrible Consequences'

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has warned that joint military exercises launched by South Korea and the United States could lead to 'unimaginably terrible consequences'.

In a statement released on Tuesday, she characterized the ongoing annual military drills conducted by Seoul and Washington as a serious provocation, stating that it would lead to further tension on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the US began their spring military exercise, 'Freedom Shield,' starting Monday. This exercise is reported to run until March 19. It has been reported that about 18,000 South Korean soldiers will participate, but details on the number of participating US soldiers have not been made public.

North Korea, an atomic power that started the Korean War by invading its neighbor South Korea in 1950, has long accused such joint military exercises of being practice for an invasion of its country.

Kim Yo Jong's remarks were quoted by the state-run media outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. She warned that such exercises could bring 'unimaginably terrible consequences,' signaling potential further instability in regional security.

She was recently promoted to the position of head of the General Affairs Department of the ruling Workers' Party of North Korea. Analysts consider this position to carry responsibilities as influential as that of the Party Secretary General.

Her reaction came at a time when her brother, Kim Jong Un, had recently rejected peace initiatives put forward by Seoul, calling them 'inconsistent deceptive farces.' He also expressed the view that North Korea has 'no business dealings' with South Korea.

Kim Yo Jong portrayed the joint military exercises as a move occurring during a sensitive time of global instability. According to her, the world security structure is rapidly weakening, and incidents of war are increasing in various regions.

She accused 'the reckless actions of international thugs' of creating the current situation.

Pyongyang also recently condemned the attacks being carried out by the US and Israel on Iran in strong terms, calling them 'illegal attacks.' North Korea claimed the incident exposed the 'evil nature' of the United States.

North Korea and the United States have been political and military adversaries for decades. However, in recent months, there have been indications that Washington is making efforts to resume high-level talks with Pyongyang.

Some reports and analysts have also pointed to the possibility of a potential summit this year between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After ignoring such proposals for a long time, Kim Jong Un stated last month that the two countries 'could coexist' if Washington accepts North Korea's nuclear status.