Kim Jong Un’s Sister Issues Warning To U.S. Over Military Exercises In Pacific

In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned the United States that North Korea would turn the Pacific Ocean into a “firing range” if the U.S. did not stop conducting military exercises with its allies in the region.

The statement, which was published by the North Korean state news agency KCNA, accused the U.S. of “recklessly” conducting military exercises that were a “serious provocation” and a threat to North Korea’s security.

“If the U.S. wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step,” the statement said.

The warning comes amid rising tensions between North Korea and the U.S. over the issue of denuclearization. Talks between the two countries have stalled since the Hanoi summit in February 2019, where the U.S. rejected North Korea’s offer to dismantle its main nuclear complex in exchange for sanctions relief.

The U.S. and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises, which North Korea views as a rehearsal for an invasion. The exercises have been scaled back in recent years, but they still infuriate North Korea.

In her statement, Kim Yo Jong also criticized South Korea for purchasing advanced weapons from the U.S., saying that it was “senseless” and would only escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land,” the statement said. “If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”

The statement is the latest in a series of warnings from North Korea over the issue of military exercises. In December 2020, Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his country’s nuclear arsenal and develop more sophisticated weapons if the U.S. did not change its approach.

The U.S. has not yet responded to the latest warning from North Korea. It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will take a different approach to North Korea than its predecessor.

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