Kim Jong Un's powerful sister sends warning to Biden administration as Blinken, Austin arrive in Asia

WASHINGTON – The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent an eerie message to the United States on Tuesday, as Biden administration officials arrive for high-level talks in Japan and South Korea.

„We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off [gun] powder smell in our land,“ Kim Yo Jong said in a statement referencing joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises in the region.

„If it [the U.S.] wants to sleep in peace for the coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step,“ she added, according to an English translation.

Kim’s comments, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, are the first reactions from Pyongyang since President Joe Biden took office, and coincided with the arrival of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the region.

Blinken and Austin, in their first trip abroad under Biden’s leadership, arrived in Japan on Tuesday and will travel to South Korea on Wednesday. The pair plans to reaffirm U.S. commitments in the region and discuss ongoing security challenges, including North Korea.

„To reduce the risks of escalating, we reached out to the North Korean government channels, starting in mid-February, including in New York. To date we have not received a response from Pyongyang,“ Blinken said during a news conference on Tuesday. „This follows over a year without active dialogue with North Korea despite multiple attempts by the United States.“