The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a threat to the US and South Korea as they are set to restart their joint military exercises.
Kim Yo Jong said in a statement on Tuesday that the exercises were "an act of betrayal" and vowed to strengthen the country's military in response.
"The dangerous war exercises pushed ahead by the US and the South Korean side disregardful of our repeated warnings will surely make them face more serious security threat," she said.
The drills take place every year, according to Reuters.
Kim described them as "the most vivid expression of the US hostile policy towards the DPRK, designed to stifle our state by force, and an unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid as they threaten the safety of our people and further imperil the situation on the Korean peninsula."
She later added: "We will put more spur to further increasing the deterrent of absolute capacity to cope with the ever-growing military threats from the US"
She also accused the US of being "a chief architect destroying peace and stability in the region."
"In order to cope with the ever-growing US military threats, we will further strengthen absolute deterrence, namely national defense power aimed at responding quickly to any military act against us as well as preemptive strike capabilities," she added.
Ankit Panda, an Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Washington Post that the phrase "deterrent of absolute capacity" likely referred to North Korea's nuclear arsenal as well as other weapons.
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