Kim Jong Un’s sister condemns ‘perfidious’ Seoul over drills with US

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un yesterday called Seoul authorities "perfidious" over the South's joint military exercises with the United States, and demanded Washington withdraw its forces from the peninsula. Kim Yo Jong's latest remarks come despite a surprise thaw on the Korean peninsula, prompted by a series of personal letters between her brother and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The two sides last month restored cross-border communications that were severed more than a year ago, announcing their leaders had agreed to work on improving ties. But Kim Yo Jong -- a key adviser to her brother -- condemned South Korea for holding "dangerous" joint military drills with the United States this month, which the North has long considered rehearsals for invasion. She expressed her "deep regret at the perfidious behaviour of the south Korean authorities" in a statement released by Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency. "For peace to settle on the peninsula, it is imperative for the US to withdraw its aggression troops and war hardware deployed in south Korea," she said. Kim Yo Jong had accused Washington of hypocrisy, he added, but she had "no right to say that as North Korea refuses to even be contacted by the US".Kim's comments came as the US and South Korean militaries began their preliminary training Tuesday in the run-up to next week's yearly summertime exercise. Seoul and Washington are treaty allies, with around 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea to defend it against its nuclear-armed neighbour. Seoul's defence ministry said the North did not answer the daily calls made between the two Koreas on their military hotline yesterday afternoon.