"Proportional Or More Offensive": Kim Yo Jong's Sharp Warning To US Over Military Drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong has warned that Pyongyang could respond with more aggressive measures to US-led military exercises in the Asia-Pacific, accusing Washington and its allies of escalating tensions in the region. Her remarks came after the Pacific Vanguard 2026 naval exercise near Guam, involving the US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Reuters reported.

What Did Kim Yo Jong Say?

Kim Yo Jong criticised the multinational naval exercise as another threatening US-led military drill and accused Washington of expanding its military presence through alliances with regional partners.

She warned that North Korea would take measures in response if its security or national interests were threatened, saying its response could be proportional or even more offensive.

Her statement was the second in two days. A day earlier, she rejected international calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme at an International Atomic Energy Agency conference, reiterating Pyongyang's position that its nuclear status is irreversible.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a report before the conference that satellite imagery showed a newly built facility at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex. The IAEA assessed that the building could house up to 28 centrifuge cascades, signalling possible further growth in the country's uranium-enrichment capacity.

The IAEA has not inspected North Korea on the ground since Pyongyang shut out its inspectors in 2009. Since then, it has depended on satellite images and other open-source information to track developments, a method that offers less certainty than direct access.

Why Are US-Led Drills A Concern For North Korea?

North Korea has long criticised US-South Korean and wider multinational military exercises, arguing that they amount to preparations for an attack. Washington and its allies, meanwhile, describe such exercises as measures intended to strengthen military readiness and cooperation.

The latest warning comes amid heightened tensions over military cooperation involving the US and its regional allies. North Korea's vice defence minister separately said on Thursday that growing US-led military activity and what Pyongyang views as an expanding nuclear alliance justified further strengthening its own nuclear capabilities.

The Pacific Vanguard exercise is therefore important to the immediate context of Kim Yo Jong's warning. Her statement suggests Pyongyang is continuing to portray multinational military cooperation in the region as a security threat and to signal that it could respond through military measures, according to Reuters.

North Korea's objections to US-led military exercises are also tied to its broader concerns about the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider Indo-Pacific. Pyongyang has repeatedly described joint drills involving the US and its allies as hostile actions, while Washington, Seoul and their partners have maintained that such exercises are defensive and intended to improve coordination.