India, March 11 -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday criticised the United States and South Korea for proceeding with their annual joint military exercises at a perilous moment for global security, and warned that any challenge to the North's safety would bring "terrible consequences."

The statement by Kim Yo Jong came a day after the allies started their 11-day Freedom Shield exercise involving thousands of troops, while Washington participates in an escalating war in the Middle East. Without directly referring to the Iran war, Kim said the US-South Korea drills undermine regional stability at a time when the global security structure is "collapsing rapidly, and wars break out in different parts of the wo...