'North Korea will be watching': Kim Jong Un's sister warns US ahead of Austin, Blinken's visit to Seoul

Ahead of the US delegation's visit to Seoul, North Korea  broke its silence and sent out a stern warning to the United States against "causing a stink" if it wants peace.

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North Korea's state-run newspaper quoted a statement from Kim Yo Jong, a key adviser to her brother, Kim Jong-Un, saying:  "a word of advice to the new administration of the United States that is struggling to spread the smell of gunpowder on our land, adding, "If you wish to sleep well for the next four years, it would be better not to create work from the start that will make you lose sleep."

Kim Yo Jong criticised the ongoing military drills in South Korea even as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Japan on Monday.

"War drills and hostility can never go with dialogue and cooperation," Kim Yo Jong said while mocking South Korea, asserting "resorting to shrunken war games, now that they find themselves in the quagmire of political, economic and epidemic crisis."

"How despite the agreements in place, positive actions, especially on the inter-Korean agenda, have been too few while actions that reinforce the 'old' adversarial relationship persists," she said.

Yo Jong warned that inter-Korean engagement that had improved in 2018 and is sought by South Korea "won't come easily again" and "North Korea will be watching to see if there is further provocations."

Experts say that the timing of Kim's comments seems designed as North Korea wishes to ensure that it is at the top of Blinken and Austin's agenda when they land in Seoul.

The two top US officials plan to discuss North Korea's nuclear challenge as a part of their policy review on the country.

White House secretary had earlier said that the US officials were trying to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, however, Pyongyang until today had ignored all advances made by the Biden administration.