Kim Yo Jong Vows 'More Offensive' Response to US Drills — SkimNews
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- Kim Yo Jong on Sept 18 blamed US-led military drills for 'ever-worsening' tensions on the Korean peninsula and vowed no change in North Korea's course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.
- She cited the Pacific Vanguard 2026 naval exercise near Guam as a threatening US-led 'war game,' naming South Korea and Japan among Washington's allies expanding military influence in the Asia-Pacific.
- Kim Yo Jong warned the armed forces would 'mobilise all means available' if North Korea's security or national interests were violated, with responsive measures 'proportional or more offensive in its nature.'
- One day earlier (Sept 17), she rejected renewed denuclearisation calls at an International Atomic Energy Agency conference, reiterating that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons state status is irreversible.
- Pacific Vanguard 2026 ran from Aug 29 to Sept 10 as a US Navy-led multilateral drill involving South Korea, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan near Guam, according to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Why it matters: Two statements from Kim Yo Jong in two days show Pyongyang is hardening its nuclear posture while explicitly rejecting any denuclearisation path. Her threat to 'mobilise all means available' against drills involving five allies — including South Korea and Japan — frames routine allied military activity as a trigger for North Korean escalation, complicating Washington's regional coordination.
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