North Korea Not Picking up Hotlines After Warning South, US Over Joint Drills

North Korea Not Picking up Hotlines After Warning South, US Over Joint Drills
Members of South Korea and U.S. Special forces take part in a joint military exercise conducted by South Korean and U.S. special forces troops at Gunsan Air Force base in Gunsan, South Korea, on Nov. 14, 2019. Capt. David J. Murphy/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

SEOUL—North Korea did not answer routine calls on inter-Korean hotlines on Tuesday, South Korea said, hours after a senior official in Pyongyang warned the South and the United States over annual joint military drills set to begin this week.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea of “perfidious behavior” for going ahead with the drills after North Korea agreed to restore hotlines in late July, having cut them last year amid rising tensions.