North Korea has condemned upcoming joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, saying they are more provocative than last year’s drills, state media said.
Pyongyang accused Washington, Seoul and Tokyo of turning their military cooperation into a nuclear alliance, warning that it would boost its deterrence capabilities in response to what it sees as a threat.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises will be held from August 17 to 27. The drills will include training to counter drone operations, GPS interference and cyberattacks, citing concerns about North Korea’s advancing military capabilities.
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said the statement was Pyongyang’s first official reaction to this year’s exercises. North Korea has repeatedly denounced the exercises, accusing them of raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang also vowed to bolster its nuclear deterrent, saying the United States had adopted a nuclear strategy that could lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
North Korea says the alleged US strategy could push international security toward the risk of nuclear conflict. It also criticized US nuclear cooperation with South Korea and its extended-deterrence commitments to Japan.
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The latest warning follows North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast on Wednesday.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area, about six days after another ballistic missile was fired from the same location.
