The Korean Central News Agency quoted the sister of the North Korean leader as saying, on Sunday, that South Korea will damage the two Koreas’ determination to improve relations between them if it carries out planned joint military exercises with the United States.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, said that the planned military exercises between Washington and Seoul will affect relations between the latter and Pyongyang.
Her comments came at a time when North Korea and its South Korean counterpart are in talks to hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, while Washington and Seoul are scheduled to hold a joint military exercise in August.
She added that the recent decision to restart inter-Korean hotlines should be seen as nothing more than restoring “physical” contact and that it would be reckless to assume that summit meetings between the two countries are imminent.
“Our government and military will closely follow whether the South Koreans will go ahead with aggressive war exercises or make a big decision,” she said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
Last Tuesday, the two countries restarted hotlines that North Korea cut off in June of last year.
Last month, South Korea’s foreign ministry said South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-Yong and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had agreed to work closely to bring North Korea back to denuclearization talks.
It is noteworthy that nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea have been suspended since October 5, 2019.
