North Korean Official Dismisses Reduced Drills Between US and South Korea
New York Times · LC · trust 55/100
Kim Yo-jong, a powerful adviser and sister of Kim Jong-un, also said she was “unaware” of any communication with Washington, contradicting President Trump’s claim her brother had responded to his outreach.
Listen · 3:44 min Share full article South Korean soldiers took part in a drill at a hotel in Seoul on Wednesday on the sidelines of a major joint military exercise with the United States named Ulchi Freedom Shield. Credit... Jung Yeon-Je/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Zane Irwin
Ms. Kim, a spokeswoman for her brother Kim Jong-un’s government, said in a statement carried by state media that the reduced exercises were still “provocative and aggressive.”
She also said she was “unaware” of any communication between the governments in Pyongyang and Washington, contradicting President Trump’s claim on Tuesday that Mr. Kim had responded to his outreach.
Ms. Kim’s repudiation came amid Mr. Trump’s attempts to spur new talks with the North’s leader. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he expected to meet with Mr. Kim later this year.
Ms. Kim’s comments came one day after the Pentagon said it would end planned drills with South Korea one week earlier than scheduled. On Sunday, Mr. Trump ordered the Defense Department to reduce the 11-day training exercise, called Ulchi Freedom Shield.
U.S. allies in the region view the annual drills, a fixture of the decades-old security alliance between the United States and South Korea, as crucial to military preparedness and deterrence amid China’s expanding territorial ambitions and North Korea’s military posturing.
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