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Kim Yo-jong, Director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The presidential office said on the 21st, in response to Kim Yo-jong, Director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's Workers' Party, sharply criticizing the scaled-back Korea-U.S. joint military exercise and President Lee Jae-myung's remarks, that "disparaging language toward the government and the president does not help build mutual trust."

The presidential office made these remarks in a press notice that day, adding, "We urge North Korea to stop unnecessary vilification and move together toward peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula."

It went on to say, "As a party to peace on the Korean Peninsula, the government will continue close coordination with the U.S.," adding, "As a pacemaker, we will also make active efforts to resume U.S.-North Korea dialogue."

Earlier, in a statement issued through North Korea's state news agency KCNA the previous night, Kim criticized the South Korean government over the scaled-back Korea-U.S. exercise, ordered by President Trump, saying that "Seoul has now been put in a position where it must fold up the war-game board it enjoyed most."

Kim also called it a "lame excuse" that the South Korean government had described the scaled-back exercise as "an opportunity for a shift to a new phase" or "a new starting point that could bring about a change in relations."

In particular, she escalated her criticism over President Lee expressing gratitude for Trump's directive to scale back the joint exercise, taking issue with South Korea's push for self-reliant defense and independent military capability.

Kim's statement came amid growing speculation that the situation on the Korean Peninsula could be shifting toward dialogue, following Trump's recent conciliatory messaging toward North Korea and his order to scale back the Korea-U.S. joint exercise.

                                                                                                        Park Young-hoon