The North Korean leader's sister criticises the US-South Korean accord.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has hit back at a key agreement made between the US and South Korea, claiming it will only serve to worsen security. The agreement includes a new US commitment to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since the early 1980s. Kim Yo Jong criticized President Joe Biden for his statement that any nuclear attack against the US and its allies will result in the end of the North Korean regime, and labeled South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol a “fool.” Her comments mark the first response North Korea has made to the security pact, and the US has pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning over any conflict with North Korea. The United States and North Korea have a "ironclad" alliance, with President Biden hailing the "ironclad" alliance and offering a stark warning to Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, is a powerful figure in North Korea and is believed to be one of her brother's most trusted confidantes.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service previously assessed her to be the country's "de facto second in command". Officials made clear that such assets will not be stationed permanently and there is no plan to deploy any tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula.