Kim Yo-jong criticizes U.S. decision to scale down Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Thursday that Washington's recent decision to scale down the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise has placed Seoul "in a poor plight of canceling 'war games' it liked very much."

Kim Yo-jong made the remarks in a statement as South Korea and the United States scaled down the summertime annual combined exercise after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the drills to be reduced.

"Trump issued a sudden order to reduce the scale of the drill. This has placed Seoul in a poor plight of canceling 'war games' it liked very much," Kim said.

Kim also said that President Lee Jae Myung's "double-dealing remarks" show the uneasiness and impatience of South Korea, referring to Lee's remarks that he respects the scaling down of the drills while also pledging for the "independent buildup of military capabilities."

"It will be something like the first 'trouble' to the ROK, unprecedented in the history of U.S.-ROK joint military exercises, in the context that they have never seen the scale of war games reduced to become coreless after its kick-off with no prior discussion," she added, calling South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Kim added that the reduced scale of the exercise is "an evident disaster" for South Korean authorities that have been "blinded by their firm belief in the U.S. master."

"The world witnesses that the U.S. security aids are no longer free of charge," Kim said. "The whole territory of the ROK would be insufficient to gain favor with the cruel master."