The First Vice Chairman of the General Staff of the North Korean Army, Kim Yong-bok, stated that the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea prove Washington’s intention to “occupy” the Korean Peninsula and target hostile countries in the region. He warned, “If they continue the military exercises, they will definitely face an unfavorable situation and pay a heavy price,” according to the Korean Central News Agency. Meanwhile, Kim Yo-jong, sister of the North Korean leader, accused South Korea and its president Lee Jae-myung of having a “double personality” due to their talk of peace while conducting joint military exercises with the United States.

She added, “They (in South Korea) keep boringly talking about peace and improving relations, fully aware that it is impossible to achieve, because they have a hidden motive to ultimately shift the responsibility for the failure of improving relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea onto the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”