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DPRK: US, S. Korea setting conditions for nuclear war via large drills

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: KCNA
5 Mar 2024 08:50
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The DPRK's Ministry of Defense slams the largest "Freedom Shield" joint drills between the US and South Korea, as "provocative".

United States and South Korean troops practice a beach landing scenario in the 2023 iteration of the "Freedom Shield" military exercises, held annually between the two countries, in Cheorwon, near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, on August 31, 2023. (AP)

The Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) has warned against "provocative large-scale joint military exercises," saying that the unprecedented drills would "amplify the unpredictability of the situation" in the Korean Peninsula, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

A spokesperson for the DPRK's Ministry of National Defense lambasted the joint exercise between Washington and Seoul, dubbed "Freedom Shield", which includes double the number of troops participating in the drill compared to last year.

In particular, the official pointed to the mobilization of "the armed forces of 11 subordinate countries belonging" to the United Nations Command, stressing that the force has "no justification for its existence."

The unprecedented drills focus on simulating possible scenarios of war between the two Koreas and aim to prepare commanders from the US and South Korea for such a situation.

The spokesperson dubbed the "war practice" as "frenzied", calling out South Korean officials as "puppets" of Washington. The official stressed that the drills show "more clearly who is the [entity] threatening humanity with nuclear weapons."

Highlighting the precarious nature of the situation between the two nations, exacerbated by the persistent escalation initiated by the United States and its allies in the region, the spokesperson underscored that the ongoing maneuvers mirror conditions that could ignite "a nuclear war with even a single spark."

DPRK ready to control the situation

"The armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will continue to monitor the adventurous actions of the enemy and continue responsible military activities to strongly control the unstable security environment in the Korean Peninsula region," the official underlined.

"Freedom Shield" will involve 48 field exercises, including missile interception drills, bombing attacks, air assaults, and multiple live-firing drills. The exercises come under the pretext of responding to nuclear threats from the DPRK, which perceives the trajectory of these joint drills as having an escalatory nature, exhibiting unmistakable indicators of a potential invasion into its sovereign territories.

In fact, the exercises do heavily focus on awarding troops expertise in commanding and controlling beach landing operations, as the amphibious forces from both countries have been made a specific focus of this year's drills. The last Freedom Shield exercises were held less than a year ago in late August 2023, highlighting the ever-soaring US militarization of the region.

In response, the DPRK has test-fired multiple multiple newly developed and upgraded weapons, including the anti-ship cruise missile and nuclear-capable cruise missiles. The list includes the nuclear-capable long-range Hawsal-2, the strategic Pulhwasal-3-31, and the anti-ship Padasuri-6. The country has also promised to respond swiftly and decisively to even the slightest encroachment into its sovereign territories by the South Korean military.