South Korea responded to threats from Pyongyang and said it would face military exercises with the United States in a “cautious and flexible” manner.

South Korea said today it is working “with caution and flexibility” over military exercises with the United States scheduled for this month. after North Korea warned of the danger that the maneuvers could derail the recent rapprochement on the peninsula.

“The Unification Ministry (in charge of relations with the North) has always worked cautiously and flexibly with the idea that joint South Korean-American military exercises should not be used as an opportunity to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula.the aforementioned ministry spokesperson Lee Hong-joo said at a press conference today.

His words come after the sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Yo-jong will issue a statement on Sunday warning of the negative effect the maneuvers may have, which Pyongyang sees as a test to invade its territory, after the two Koreas resume communication.

For his part, the spokesperson for the southern Ministry of National Defense, Boo Seung-chan explained at another press conference today that the how and when of these annual war games have yet to be decided.

“South Korea and the United States maintain close communication and take into account related situations”, Boo assured, in statements collected by the Yonhap agency.

Last Tuesday, it was announced that Pyongyang had agreed to resume telematics communication with Seoul thirteen months after choosing to stop using these lines to protest against the ballooning of anti-regime propaganda by militants. from South.

The announcement fueled hopes that the inter-Korean dialogue will progress and even that North Korea-US talks on denuclearization, stalled since the failure of the 2019 Hanoi summit, could also resume.

The sister of the North Korean dictator, who is also seen as a possible successor to power, criticized military exercises planned by South Korea and the United States.

“I am fairly certain that the military exercise, which is taking place at a major turning point, will become an unpleasant prelude which will seriously undermine the will of leaders in the North and South to restore confidence,” Kim said. I Jong, Known to be ruthless, even more so than her brother.

Likewise, he assured that these exercises – which South Korea and the United States are rethinking in the face of the relaxation of relations – “will further obscure the path that awaits us for inter-Korean relations”, and he demanded that Seoul take “a bold decision” and overturn them. Hope or despair? The decision is not ours, ”he said in an article published in the official North Korean news agency KCNA, echoed by his southern counterpart, Yonhap.

(With information from EFE)

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