Kim Yo Jong Warns of Stronger Response to US-Led Military Drills

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong has blamed US-led military exercises for escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, warning that Pyongyang will continue strengthening its nuclear deterrent and could take more forceful countermeasures.

Kim, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticized the Pacific Vanguard 2026 naval exercise near Guam in a statement published Friday by state media KCNA. She described the multinational drills as a threatening US-led “war game” aimed at expanding Washington’s military influence across the Asia-Pacific region.

The exercise involved naval forces from the United States, South Korea, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. According to Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, Pacific Vanguard 2026 ran from August 29 through September 10 near Guam.

Kim argued that growing military cooperation between the United States and regional allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, poses a security threat to North Korea. She said Pyongyang needs to respond with measures that are “proportional or more offensive in its nature” as military activity in the region increases.

She also warned that North Korea’s armed forces could “mobilize all means available” if the country determines that its sovereignty, security environment or national interests have been seriously threatened. Kim said there would be no change in Pyongyang’s policy of expanding its nuclear war deterrence.

The remarks marked Kim’s second public statement in two days. On Thursday, she rejected renewed international calls for North Korea’s denuclearization during the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference, maintaining Pyongyang’s longstanding position that its nuclear weapons status is irreversible.

The latest warning underscores continued tensions surrounding US-led military exercises in the Asia-Pacific and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, with Pyongyang portraying multinational drills as a direct security threat while Washington and its regional partners continue expanding defense cooperation.