(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has slammed the upcoming joint military drills by the US, Japan, and South Korea. She called them a “dangerous” and “reckless” show of force that could backfire badly on the allies.
Her sharp words came just a day before the exercises kick off near South Korea’s Jeju Island. Dubbed Freedom Edge, these drills will mix naval, air, and missile defense operations and run through Friday. As vice department director in North Korea’s ruling party, Kim Yo Jong warned that flaunting military power around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will lead to serious trouble for the US, Japan, and South Korea.
This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Just this week, Kim Jong Un visited weapons research sites and stressed boosting both nuclear and conventional forces at the same time. Experts think North Korea is using these allied drills as an excuse to speed up its own nuclear modernization and military upgrades.
On top of Freedom Edge, the US and South Korea are gearing up for Iron Mace tabletop exercises next week. These will blend conventional and nuclear strategies to tackle North Korean threats. South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops, adding weight to the alliance’s moves. Iron Mace marks the first such drill under US President Donald Trump and South Korea’s new leader Lee Jae Myung—both have shown openness to talking with Pyongyang.
North Korea isn’t staying quiet. A top official, Pak Jong Chon, promised “clearer and stronger” countermeasures if the “hostile forces” keep showing off their military might, according to state media KCNA.
Tensions have simmered since a failed 2019 US-North Korea summit on denuclearization. Pyongyang has since dug in its heels, calling itself an “irreversible nuclear state” and refusing to ditch its nukes. The ongoing Ukraine war has given North Korea a boost too—it’s reportedly sent thousands of troops to support Russia and gained key backing in return.
Last year, Russia and North Korea sealed a mutual defense pact when President Vladimir Putin visited the isolated nation. As these military moves heat up, all eyes are on what North Korea does next in this high-stakes standoff.
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