DPRK urges UN to halt 'provocative' US-S. Korea drills

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Mar 2023 08:44

Pyongyang says the "irresponsible acts" of Washington and Seoul will take the region "to a very critical and uncontrollable phase."

A US Air Force B-1B bomber and South Korean KF-16 fighter jets take part in a joint air drill in South Korea, March 3, 2023 (South Korean Defence Ministry)

The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK called on the United Nations to urge a halt to joint military drills by Seoul and Washington, state media reported on Sunday.

In a statement by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong underlined that the drills and rhetoric from the two allies have pushed tensions to an "extremely dangerous level."

"The UN and the international community will have to strongly urge the U.S. and South Korea to immediately halt their provocative remarks and joint military exercises," he said.

The "irresponsible acts" of the allies will only take the regional situation "to a very critical and uncontrollable phase," Kim warned.

The statement comes after officials from Seoul and Washington announced on Friday more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises from March 13 to 23.

Seoul and Washington also conducted a combined air drill with a US long-range bomber and South Korean fighter aircraft on Friday, the latest in their series of joint training in recent weeks.

The DPRK on Saturday blamed Washington for what it called the collapse of international arms control systems and considered that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons were "the surest way" to ensure the balance of power in the region.