North Korea dismisses scaled-back drills, vows self-defense
North Korea on Wednesday dismissed the United States' decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, with leader Kim Jong-un's sister saying Pyongyang attaches no significance to the reduction and remains focused on the fact that the drills are continuing.
Kim Yo-jong, a senior official in the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that reducing the scale or duration of the exercises "does not change the nature of these military maneuvers, which are of provocative and aggressive nature," according to TASS. She added that Pyongyang has "no interest whatsoever" in the move, as reported by Yonhap.
The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the shortening of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which was cut from 11 days to conclude Friday, a week earlier than scheduled. Trump said the drills send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, according to Yonhap.
Kim Yo-jong said Pyongyang is paying greater attention to the reality that the exercises "have continued and are still ongoing," calling them "an unmistakable expression of hostility toward North Korea." She stressed that reducing the scale or duration does not change the "provocative and aggressive nature" of the drills, as reported by Yonhap.
A separate KCNA commentary went further, vowing to "completely neutralize the enemies military threat" and exercise the right to self-defense. The commentary said the exercise, which began Monday, had grown more sophisticated and geared toward actual combat, and targeted the expanding role of the U.S.-led U.N. Command. It claimed South Korea is becoming "a gathering place of multinational aggression forces" and repeated that "all the war drills for aggression" will never produce the desired results, as reported by Yonhap.
Questions over diplomatic signals
Kim Yo-jong also addressed reports of recent contacts between North Korean and U.S. leaders. She said she knew nothing about them, telling reporters she was "unaware" of any communication and that it was "perhaps" one foreign policy matter about which she was not informed, according to the South China Morning Post and Yonhap.
Trump said Monday that the North Korean leader had responded positively to his overture, according to Yonhap. Kim Yo-jong neither confirmed nor denied that claim.
She did say that Kim Jong-un retains "fond memories and warm feelings" toward Trump and that the relationship between the two leaders "remains excellent," as reported by TASS. However, she stressed that the leaders' personal relationship does not imply a change in Washington's policy, saying the U.S. "hostile policy toward North Korea has not changed" (TASS).
Analysts said the statement left room for renewed summit diplomacy, with the carefully worded message making clear that Pyongyang intended to set the terms for any return to dialogue, according to the South China Morning Post.
Kim Yo-jong also warned that if Washington presents the reduction as a "gesture of goodwill," it "will not receive the desired response," and said Pyongyang will continue to strengthen its deterrent forces, as reported by TASS.
South Korea's response
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed hope that the scaled-back drills could open the door for dialogue between North Korea and Washington. Speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting, Chung said he supported Trump's order, saying the shared goal of the alliance is "peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," according to Yonhap.
"I hope this leads to dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea, and further extends to improved inter-Korean ties," Chung said, as reported by Yonhap.
Chung noted that North Korea has long described the joint exercises as the core of what it calls Washington's hostile policy. In February, Kim Jong-un said Pyongyang has no reason not to get along with the U.S. if Washington withdraws its hostile policy against the North, according to Yonhap.