SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Pyongyang’s second most powerful official, Kim Yo-jong, issued a stern warning on March 10, characterizing the ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as a "provocative and aggressive war rehearsal." The statement, released via the state-run Korean Central News Agency, asserted that the maneuvers currently underway on the Korean peninsula are "intensively revealing once again their inveterate repugnancy toward the DPRK and habitual hostile policy toward it."
The department director stated that the drill is "not a 'military game'" and warned that the "muscle-flexing of the hostile forces near the areas of our state's sovereignty and security may cause unimaginably terrible consequences." The joint military exercise, known as Freedom Shield, officially commenced on March 9 and is scheduled to run through March 19.
According to military authorities in Seoul and Washington, the drill involves approximately 18,000 personnel, a figure consistent with previous years. This year’s iteration focuses on realistic threats derived from recent global conflicts, incorporating elements of information warfare and artificial intelligence technology. A primary objective is to evaluate and verify the conditions necessary for the transfer of wartime operational control to Seoul.
While the personnel count remains stable, the scale of field training exercises has seen a marked reduction under the administration of President Lee Jae Myung. The current schedule includes 22 outdoor maneuvers, representing less than half of the 51 sessions conducted during the March 2025 exercises. Government officials in Seoul have indicated that this adjustment toward dispersing field training throughout the year is intended to create a stable diplomatic environment.
This tactical shift coincides with reports that the U.S. President is scheduled to visit Beijing from March 31 to April 2. Despite the reduction in visible field maneuvers, the rhetoric from Pyongyang has shifted toward a more permanent stance of hostility. Kim Yo-jong dismissed the defensive nature of the drills, stating that the "clear confrontational nature of the high-intensity large-scale war drill staged by the most hostile entities in collusion at the doorstep of the DPRK never changes."
She further emphasized that her state would "perfectly counter the strategic threats to the security of the state and the region through the bolstering of destructive power." This follows a broader doctrinal change where the supreme leader recently declared there is "no reason to speak with Washington." The supreme leader has also used recent public addresses to condemn the government of Lee Jae Myung for what he described as "double-sidedness."
Kim Jong-un asserted that "it is undoubtedly a law and iron principle that the most powerful offensive capability constitutes the most reliable deterrent." He signaled that his state would no longer engage in what he deemed futile diplomatic overtures with Washington. This ideological pivot frames Seoul as a primary enemy state, a designation that the recent press statement reinforces.
The latest communication warns that any violation of sovereignty will be met with an "extraordinarily overwhelming and preemptive super-offensive." The Freedom Shield exercises are proceeding as planned across the land, sea, and air domains of South Korea.
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