Kim Yo Jong says ‘unaware’ of Kim-Trump communication
AFP | Seoul, South Korea
The powerful sister of Kim Jong Un said Wednesday she was “unaware” of reported communication between her brother and Donald Trump, after the US president hinted at contact with the North Korean leader, but said ties between the two remained “excellent”.
Earlier Wednesday, Seoul's military said the drills would wrap up on Friday, not on August 27 as originally planned.
“We have decided to adjust the UFS exercise period to run from the 17th to the 21st,” South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The decision was made “at the suggestion of the US side”, it added.
The Pentagon said the “substantially reduced” drills would “preserve essential readiness and... (cause) no degradation to US training objectives”.
The exercises are designed to prepare for a possible attack by North Korea.
They were understood to consist of two phases: the first, focused on defending against potential North Korean threats, was due to run until Friday; and the second, focused on a counteroffensive, from August 24 to 27.
The second phase is now understood to have been scrapped.
Kim Yo Jong, however, dismissed the reduction, saying: “we do not consider it worth commenting on and find it completely uninteresting.”
She said reducing the scale or duration of the exercise did not change their “provocative and aggressive” character.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has long voiced outrage at the exercises, considering them dress rehearsals for an invasion.
Wednesday's early morning commentary by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said they pose “the most immediate and open threat” to North Korea and “regional security”.
That commentary did not mention Trump's order or his desire to resume talks with Kim, with whom he has hinted at being in contact.
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