Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea's leader, attacks US drills and threatens a 'more aggressive' response

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the United States of escalating regional tensions through repeated military exercises, warning of a “more aggressive” response from Pyongyang, according to a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday.

The agency quoted Kim Yo-jong as saying that “the current situation, marked by new records in hostile operational moves against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, underscores the need for our responses to set new records, whether proportionate or more aggressive.”

After describing recent joint military exercises conducted by U.S. forces and their allies in the Asia-Pacific region as “U.S.-led war training,” Kim pledged that “our will to defend our sovereignty will be manifested in more overt actions, and there will be absolutely no change in the course of strengthening our nuclear deterrence capabilities.”

She added: “I remind the enemy once again that if it becomes evident that the supreme interests of our nation, its military sovereignty, and its regional security environment have been seriously violated due to its military maneuvers, the North Korean army will employ all available means to address the situation.”