military exercises to President Lee Jae Myung, hours after Pyongyang denounced such joint drills and accused Seoul of “blindly adhering” to its alliance with Washington.

Chung revealed the plan to reporters, saying, “Yes, I have such an intent,” in response to a question about whether he plans to propose adjusting South Korea-U.S. military exercises to Lee.

The response came hours after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused the Lee administration of “blindly adhering” to the South Korea-U.S. alliance, declaring that Pyongyang will never engage in talks with Seoul.

Citing continuing military drills with the United States, Kim argued that Lee is no different from his predecessor, referring to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who pursued hard-line policies toward North Korea.

“It is clear that the policy line of the Lee Jae Myung administration is different from that of Yoon. The policy approach to South Korea-U.S. military exercises under Yoon will not be continued,” Chung noted.

In mid-August, South Korea and the U.S. are set to kick off their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise