Seoul: Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has openly criticized the joint US-South Korean military exercises known as "Freedom Shield." She released a statement through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) condemning the drills as "provocative and aggressive war exercises" that could significantly destabilize the region.

According to Thai News Agency, Kim Yo Jong emphasized that the annual military exercises demonstrate a "permanently hostile policy" towards North Korea. She detailed that the drills involve more than 18,000 personnel from both nations, covering operations in multiple domains including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, conducted both day and night. She also cautioned that such military posturing could result in "unimaginable and disastrous consequences."

Furthermore, Kim Yo Jong pointed out the ongoing global geopolitical tensions, suggesting that military activities by adversaries of North Korea blur the lines between defense and offense, as well as between drills and actual warfare.

While officials from South Korea and the US argue that the military exercises, scheduled to continue until March 19, are "defensive" and designed to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions, they also serve as a preparation for the transfer of wartime control from the US to South Korea. This transition, under the leadership of President Lee Jae-myung, is expected to be finalized by 2030.