Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader and influential figure in the nation's government, threatened to take swift and overwhelming action against the upcoming joint exercises between South Korea and the United States set to begin next week. Kim's statement, released on Tuesday through the official Korean Central News Agency, warned of the consequences of the US-South Korean Freedom Shield drills, saying, "we are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment."

The United States and South Korea plan to conduct the Freedom Shield exercises from March 13-23 in order to bolster defenses against North Korea's threats. This announcement has confronted increased opposition from North Korea, with Kim's brother and leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, threatening to turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range" if they went ahead. Pyongyang may try to test their nuclear warhead designs to prove