Communist dictator Kim Jong-un’s sister, the powerful North Korean official Kim Yo-jong, published one of her signature tirades on Thursday mocking South Korea in the context of President Donald Trump ordering a reduction of the scale of annual military exercises with Seoul.
The missive Kim Yo-jong published on Thursday is the second such extensive commentary on Trump’s decision, which he said in a statement on his website, Truth Social, he took in response to Kim Jong-un maintaining a respectful relationship with the American president personally, identifying the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercises as needlessly belligerent.
Kim Yo-jong published her second long-form commentary on Thursday despite claiming in a separate statement on Wednesday that she had “no interest at all” in Trump scaling down the military exercises. In her first statement, she refused to give Trump credit for limiting the military exercises, rejecting the interpretation of the measure as “good faith” — though she confirmed that Trump’s personal relationship with her brother was still “excellent.”
Contrary to that claim, Kim Yo-jong commented with enthusiasm on the development on Thursday, mocking the South Korean government as a “puppet” of the United States.
“The ROK [South Korea] cannot let out a single word of protest at the GIs leaving without any mutual coordination at the U.S. chief executive’s unilateral order,” she remarked in a commentary posted by the flagship North Korean state propaganda outlet, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “This is the inevitable fate of the puppet army, whose right to command has been left in the hands of the U.S., and the true situation of the ROK, whose security has been placed at stake due to a reduction of the joint military drill.”
“The plight of the ROK, which is compelled to stop the ‘war games’ it liked very much, is visualizing the structure of the relation between master and servant called the ‘U.S.-ROK blood alliance’ of which they have boasted,” she added.
The commentary was careful not to offend the United States, typically portrayed in communist North Korean propaganda as the country’s greatest enemy, other than calling Washington a “cruel master.” Instead, Kim Yo-jong focused on dismissing the South Korean government as colonized and unable to respond to Trump’s allegedly “frosty reception.” Kim Yo-jong described Trump’s announcement as “unprecedented” in American-Korean history and Seoul fated to a position of “complete subordination.”
“The world witnesses that the U.S. security aids are no longer free of charge,” she concluded. “The whole territory of the ROK would be insufficient to gain favor with the cruel master.”
Kim Yo-jong had already published an extended commentary on Wednesday about the situation, cushioned in commentary on other geopolitical issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in which North Korea is an active participant, as well as the war between America and Iran. Kim claimed that the “regional security environment is facing constant challenges due to the U.S. and its vassal forces’ attempt at geopolitical expansion,” blaming the United States for each global conflict, but only directly threatening the nation of Japan, which Kim claimed would “face immediate annihilating blow impossible to survive [sic].”
“As for the reduction of the U.S.-ROK joint military drill abruptly announced by the U.S. president a few days ago, we regard it as the one unworthy of comment and have no interest in it at all,” she claimed, less than 24 hours before publishing a long comment expressing high interest in the topic. “The reduction of the scale and duration of the drill does not mean the change of the nature of the military drill with a provocative and offensive feature.”
Kim Yo-jong added that she could not comment on President Donald Trump’s claim that he had recently spoken to her brother, but shared that the two men enjoyed an extremely close personal relationship.
“As for the news from Washington that shortly ago, there was a communication between the leaders of the DPRK [North Korea] and the U.S., I am not aware of it at all, and perhaps it may be the only thing I do not know as regards the foreign policy of our supreme leadership,” she stated.
“I had already clarified several times that our head of state has good memories and feelings about Trump personally,” Kim added, “The relationship between those two leaders is still excellent. It is well known to the world and not a matter to be surprised, I think.”
Kim Yo-jong added that, while Trump and her brother get along, America’s policy towards North Korea “has remained unchanged” and thus the country itself still considers America a primary enemy state. North Korea and America are in a formal state of war as a result of America’s alliance with South Korea in the Korean War, which began in 1950 and has not officially ended with either a surrender or peace agreement. Active hostilities between the two sides, which also include China on North Korea’s side, ended with an armistice agreement in 1953.
Leftist South Korean President Lee Jae-myung proposed talks to definitively end the war in remarks this weekend, which preceded Trump winding down Ulchi Freedom Shield. South Korea, Lee said on Saturday, “will embark on a journey to end war and transform the Korean Peninsula’s unstable armistice into a peace regime.”
The Korean government nonetheless appeared disappointed with Trump’s announcement on Sunday that he would limit America’s participation in the annual joint military exercises taking place in August.
“Our government is paying close attention to President Trump’s social media message today,” a statement from the South Korean presidential office read, “and hopes that the friendly relationship between the North Korean and U.S. leaders will lead to meaningful dialogue between the two countries, thereby initiating discussions to advance peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
Trump announced on Sunday that he was “not happy” with the military exercises, calling them “inappropriate and hostile” in the context of North Korea being “unthreatening and respectful” to America during his time in office. Trump added that he was disappointed that Lee had not offered any help in the ongoing war with Iran, which has severely disrupted global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, directly affecting South Korean commerce.