South Korea And US Hold War Exercises This Month, Kim Jong-un's Brother Issues Ultimatum

Kim Yo-jong walked in front of President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. (Source: Joint Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps via nknews.org)

JAKARTA - Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Joong-un, issued an ultimatum regarding South Korea's plan to hold joint military exercises with the United States (US) this month.

As quoted by Reuters on Sunday, August 1 from KCNA, Kim Yo-jong said the joint exercise plan would undermine plans to repair and rebuild relations between the two Koreas.

He also mentioned that the agreement to restore the hotline between the two countries last week should not be seen as anything more than reconnecting 'physical' relations, and it would be 'unwise' to assume a summit between the two countries is imminent.

"Our government and military will continue to watch whether South Korea continues its aggressive war games, or makes major decisions. Hope or despair? It's not up to us," he said.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Supple ruled out the possibility of postponing joint US-Korea military exercises scheduled for August, after dozens of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers asked for a delay.

"There are no changes to the schedule of our planned training events. Military readiness is the top priority of the minister of defense. Our joint military training events are the main method of ensuring the readiness of our joint alliance," Supple told Radio Free Asia as reported by Koreajoongangdaily July 4.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in previously considered the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the planned military exercise between Seoul and Washington. However, this year's joint military exercises may be held on a smaller scale.

Quoting the Korea Times on May 30, President Moon said it was difficult to conduct field exercises involving large numbers of military personnel from both countries, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation.

To note, regular drills between Seoul and Washington have long been a source of hostility on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea calling it an invasion rehearsal and responding with a missile test, citing the Aug. 2 AP. However, South Korea and the US have repeatedly said their drills are defensive in nature.

In recent years, South Korea and the US have canceled or scaled back some of their exercises in support of diplomatic efforts to end the North Korean nuclear crisis or because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked about the prospects for this season's drills, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said at a briefing Thursday (last week) Seoul and Washington were reviewing factors such as the current status of the pandemic to efforts to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.