The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attacked the United States on Tuesday (March 16) as the new US Secretaries of Defense and Foreign Affairs began a visit to Tokyo and Seoul .

The United States and South Korea began joint military maneuvers last week, and the official North Korean daily Rodong Sinmun, as quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap, reported a statement by Kim Yo-jong. in which she gives "advice to the new American administration which is trying to spread a smell of powder on our country".

"If you want to rest easy for the next four years [duration of an American presidential mandate, note], you would do well not to undertake anything which makes you lose sleep", declares Kim Yo-jong, according to Rodong Sinmun.

This is the first explicit reference, without however naming it, to the new American president on behalf of this country equipped with the nuclear weapon, more than four months after the election of Joe Biden to the succession of Donald Trump. . 

The warnings come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Tokyo on Monday, the inaugural stage of their first overseas trip, aimed at strengthening state ties. -United with their Asian partners against China.

Tumultuous relations between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump

Donald Trump's atypical foreign policy had given rise to exchanges of insults and threats of nuclear war with Kim Jong-un, followed by a spectacular rapprochement, marked by meetings as historic as symbolic.

These relations did not ultimately lead to progress towards the objective that Washington had set of denuclearization of North Korea, subject to multiple international sanctions because of its nuclear program and ballistic missiles.

Negotiations have stalled since the resounding failure of the second summit between the two men at the end of February 2019 in Hanoi.

One of the reasons for this stalemate has been the lack of consensus on what concessions North Korea should make in exchange for lifting international sanctions against it.

The negotiation process was conducted through South Korean President Moon Jae-in, but relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have deteriorated sharply since the failure of the Hanoi summit.

Some 28,500 US servicemen are stationed in South Korea to protect it from a possible attack by North Korea and Seoul and Washington, united by a military alliance, began computer-simulated military exercises last week.

North Korea condemns such training, which it describes as preparation for an invasion.

"The South Korean government has once again chosen 'the War March', 'the Crisis March'," Kim Yo-jong said in her statement.

"To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang"

US President Joe Biden's teams have been trying to get in touch with North Korea for several weeks.

In vain.

"We have tried to contact the North Korean government through various channels since mid-February, particularly in New York," a senior US official said on Monday on condition of anonymity.

By New York, he meant the North Korean representation to the United Nations, Washington and Pyongyang not maintaining diplomatic relations.

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“To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang,” he added.

According to this official, the objective of this contact is to reduce "the risk of escalation" on the Korean peninsula.

An official in the Biden administration stressed that there had been no "active dialogue" between Washington and Pyongyang for "more than a year".

The new president has launched a comprehensive review of US policy vis-à-vis Pyongyang, he said, and "throughout this process, we will continue to consult with our Japanese and South Korean allies to solicit their ideas. and explore new approaches ".

In early January, shortly before Joe Biden's inauguration, Kim Jong-un called the United States North Korea's "greatest enemy", adding that Washington's policy towards Pyongyang would "never" change. " whoever is in power "in the United States.

With AFP

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