Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has criticized South Korea’s resumption of live-fire artillery drills near the border, calling it a "provocation that aggravates the situation and "suicidal hysteria."

In a statement carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Monday, Kim said it is clear to everyone what dangers the South Korean army's "reckless" live-fire exercises pose as they draw closer to the border of North Korea.

South Korea recently resumed live-fire artillery training near the land and maritime borders after fully suspending a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement that bans such exercises and other acts deemed hostile against each other.

Kim also denounced the recent combined multi-domain “Freedom Edge” exercise among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, saying that it clearly showed the actions of the United States and hostile forces pursuing military domination of the region are crossing a dangerous level.

Kim accused South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of creating tensions on the Korean Peninsula with the military exercise to divert public attention away from his poor performance in domestic politics, citing an online petition calling for Yoon to be impeached, which has gathered more than one million signatures.