North Korea: Kim Jong-un's sister warns US not to 'cause a stink'

Mar 16, 2021 - 18:38
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North Korea: Kim Jong-un's sister warns US not to 'cause a stink'

Kim Jong-un and sister Kim Yo-jong attend the Inter-Korean Summit at the Peace House on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjom, South KoreaIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionKim Yo-jong is considered a powerful ally of her brother, Kim Jong-un

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned the US not to "cause a stink", as President Joe Biden prepares to set out his Korean policy.

In remarks on state media, Kim Yo-jong criticised the US and South Korea for conducting joint military exercises.

Her comments come a day before top US officials are due to arrive in Seoul.

The US government has said it has been trying for weeks to make diplomatic contact with North Korea.

Pyongyang has yet to acknowledge that President Biden is now in office.

The two countries remain at loggerheads over the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Kim Yo-jong was quoted in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper as saying: "A word of advice to the new administration of the United States that is struggling to spread the smell of gunpowder on our land from across the ocean.

"If it wants to sleep in peace for [the] coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step."

She reiterated her country's opposition to the joint military exercises - which North Korea describes as preparations for invasion - saying: "The South Korean government yet again chose the 'March of War', the 'March of Crisis'."

Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un talk before a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, KoreaIMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionDonald Trump's high-profile meetings with Kim Jong-un failed to break the diplomatic deadlock

Kim Yo-jong is the younger sister of Kim Jong-un and the only one of his siblings considered a close and powerful ally.