North Korean leader’s sister dismisses scaled back Seoul-Washington drills, unaware of contact between Kim and Trump

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, downplayed U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive to scale back joint South-U.S. military exercises, saying late Wednesday she has “no interest” in the move.

Instead, Kim Yo-jong said the North is “paying greater attention to the reality that joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have continued and are still ongoing,” in a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), calling it an “unmistakable expression of hostility” toward Pyongyang.

The statement comes after Seoul and Washington confirmed earlier Wednesday that the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), the large-scale South Korea-U.S. exercise that began on Monday and was initially scheduled to run through Aug. 27, will be cut short to Friday.

Kim Yo-jong said that the military exercises are essentially “provocative and aggressive in nature, and this “doesn’t change simply because the scale or duration of the drills is reduced."

The South Korean and U.S. military reached the rare decision to cut short and reduce the scope of the exercise currently underway after Trump announced on Truth Social on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to reduce the joint drills, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim.

Kim Yo-jong also said she is unaware of any communication between the North Korean and U.S. leaders, contrary to Trump’s remarks to reporters Monday, calling the matter something she “knows nothing about."

However, she noted that the North Korean leader has “good personal memories and feelings for President Trump,” in a somewhat restrained statement leaving open the possibility of future communication.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Kim has responded to his overtures for dialogue. Trump is pressing his aides to arrange one-on-one talks with Kim as early as November, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing U.S. officials.

Such a meeting could coincide with Trump’s Asia trip in November to take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China.

Kim Yo-jong also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent statement that North Korea is planning to deploy additional troops for Russia’s war on Ukraine "completely groundless."

She stressed that any cooperation between North Korea and Russia is in accordance to their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.

Her remarks come as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a two-day trip to Seoul, amid speculation over whether Beijing will play a mediator role if Trump is to meet with Kim on the margins of the APEC summit in China. 

Wang said Wednesday during talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun that Beijing will "continue to play a constructive role" in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Cho and Wang last met in Beijing in September last year. This marks the Chinese foreign minister’s first visit to Seoul in five years.

“As regional conflicts spread, global mutual supply chains are not only impacting security but also having a positive effect on the peace and stability of our region,” Wang said.

Although he didn’t mention Washington directly, his remark is interpreted as alluding to the U.S.-Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz which has impacted global supply chains amid the Sino-U.S. strategic competition.

“Just as President Lee Jae Myung recently presented a blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula in his Liberation Day address, the South Korean government will continue to strive for the denuclearization and establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Cho said in his opening remarks, asking for China’s cooperation on the matter.

However, when asked by reporters if China will mediate a North-U.S. summit Wang told reporters that “the United States must change its longstanding hostile policy toward North Korea.”

North Korean leader Kim has consistently consulted with China ahead of his summits with Trump in 2018 and 2019. 

Cho and Wang followed up with a dinner banquet.

On Thursday, Wang will pay a courtesy call on President Lee at the Blue House, an occasion to follow up on the development of bilateral relations and regional security issues.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac will hold a separate meeting and luncheon with Wang to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest, the Blue House said.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]