North Korea says it will not overlook 'dangerous' US, S.Korea drills

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
19 May 2023 15:33

Pyongyang has slammed increased military drills between the United States and South Korea, calling them "warmongers' madness."

A South Korean army K1A1 tank fires during a live-fire drill, part of the joint military drill "Freedom Shield" between South Korea and the U.S. in Pocheon, South Korea, March 22, 2023. (Reuters)

North Korea has called the increased drills between the US and South Korea "warmongers' madness" and vowed to increase its nuclear deterrence.

Last month, South Korea, the United States, and Japan carried out joint naval missile defense exercises to strengthen security cooperation against the DPRK's alleged missile threats, Seoul's navy said.

South Korea and the United States will hold drills from May 25 to June 15 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of their alliance. Advanced weapons systems, including F-35A stealth aircraft, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, K2 tanks, and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers are anticipated to participate in the drills.

North Korea accused the two nations on Friday of increasing "nuclear blackmail" and preparing for an invasion, calling for a "corresponding response."

State news agency KCNA reported that the US and South Korean "plot to crush us militarily is another clear indication that the enemy warmongers' madness has reached a point where it cannot be overlooked."

"The frantic nuclear war fuss among US and puppet warlike bellwethers is bound to trigger corresponding responses."

The KCNA stated that Pyongyang will continue to develop its weapons programs and called it a "legitimate right of a sovereign state to have more powerful means of self-defense" to fend off "serious situations and prospective threats."

The "dangerous war exercises," it warned, will take place "in an area only a few kilometers away from our front."

Last month, KCNA called South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to the US a provocation and a typical demonstration of hostile policies against Pyongyang, and that it effectively makes a nuclear war against North Korea "a fait accompli."

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, issued a warning about the "more serious danger" that would result from a US-South Korea agreement aimed at strengthing deterrence against Pyongyang, state media reported.

Her remarks came after US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart threatened to end DPRK's leadership if it uses its nuclear arsenal, issuing the Washington Declaration in which the US pledged to bolster its commitment to a so-called "extended deterrence" to counter the 'threats posed by the DPRK' and mobilize a wide range of its military capabilities.