The U.S. harbors no hostile intent toward North Korea, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, denounced upcoming U.S.-ROK military drills and pledged to further develop nuclear weapons.

"First, let me reiterate that the joint military exercises are purely defensive in nature. We have made that point repeatedly and it's a very important one,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a daily press briefing. “Second, as we have long maintained, the United States harbors no hostile intent toward the DPRK.”