Kim Yo Jong accuses the US of worsening regional tensions and threatens a “more offensive” response

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the United States of aggravating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through frequent military exercises and warned that Pyongyang could respond “more offensively.” The statement was published by the official KCNA news agency, amid an international naval exercise taking place around the American island of Guam.

According to Kim Yo Jong, the military maneuvers led by the United States represent “war rehearsals” and justify intensifying North Korea’s deterrence actions. She argued that, if North Korea’s sovereignty and security interests are considered seriously violated, the country’s Armed Forces will mobilize all available means.

The United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are participating, from 29 August to 10 September, in the annual Pacific Vanguard naval exercise, organized near Guam. According to the U.S. military, the exercise aims to strengthen the allies’ ability to conduct joint naval operations in the Pacific region.

Kim Yo Jong holds an important position in the leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea and is one of the regime’s main voices in Pyongyang in its relations with its adversaries. She also reaffirmed North Korea’s commitment to strengthening its nuclear deterrence.

Pyongyang considers nuclear weapons essential to the regime’s survival. The country, subject to international sanctions, has not resumed negotiations on its nuclear program following the failure of the summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump in 2019.