(MENAFN) North Korea has condemned South Korea’s latest diplomatic gestures as a "deceptive appeasement offensive," sharply criticizing President Lee Jae Myung while denouncing ongoing joint military drills with the United States, media reported Wednesday.

During a high-level Foreign Ministry meeting, Kim Jong Un’s influential sister accused Seoul of insincerity, stating, "We must pay attention to the fact that, while pretending to extend a hand of reconciliation, the joint military exercises that have been held again are under review to ‘eliminate’ our nuclear and missile capabilities at an early stage and expand attacks into the territory of the Republic."

Referring directly to South Korea's leader, she added, "South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is talking about improving relations but it is 'impossible.'"

Her remarks targeted the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a joint 11-day military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea that began Monday. The large-scale drills are taking place alongside a four-day civil defense exercise involving around 580,000 civilians, including a nationwide anti-air raid drill scheduled for Wednesday.

Rejecting future engagement with Seoul, she declared, South Korea "cannot be a diplomatic partner," asserting that the South would play no part in shaping "the region’s future diplomacy."

Her comments followed similar rhetoric from Kim Jong Un a day earlier. The North Korean leader had also attacked the joint drills, warning they reveal a clear intent "to ignite a war."

Despite the tension, President Lee Jae Myung struck a conciliatory tone on Monday, asserting that under his leadership, South Korea would “respect North Korea's current system” and would not seek unification through “absorption.” He further pledged to take “proactive, gradual steps” toward reviving the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at easing border tensions.

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