FALCON POWERS – The Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as saying on Tuesday that her country will continue building a massive military force to protect its sovereignty and regional peace.
Kim stated that a series of military maneuvers conducted by the U.S. Army in the region this year, starting with live ammunition exercises with the “South Korean puppet military (under the United States’ control),” have created a serious disruption in the regional security environment. The official North Korean news agency quoted her as saying, “We will continue building a massive military force to protect our sovereignty, security, and regional peace.”
Both the U.S. and South Korean armies have participated in wider and more frequent exercises in recent months, as the leaders of both countries pledged to raise their military readiness in the face of North Korean military threats. The South Korean army reported that approximately 100 military aircraft conducted two weeks of aerial exercises this month.
North Korea claims that the U.S. military maneuvers are preparations for a nuclear war against them. However, Washington and Seoul maintain that the exercises are defensive in nature and are regularly conducted to maintain military readiness.
