The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea called the drills ‘extremely provocative’.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has sharply criticized the ongoing joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea, labeling the drills as “extremely provocative” and accusing both nations of undermining peace on the Korean Peninsula, reports 24brussels.
In a statement released on Friday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army condemned the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, currently taking place on land, at sea, and in the air of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The spokesperson described the exercise as “an extremely provocative and aggressive large-scale drill for an actual war clearly aimed at a sudden preemptive attack on the DPRK.”
The statement emphasized the serious implications of the drill, which reportedly simulates a preemptive strike on DPRK nuclear facilities, involving a range of military maneuvers and live firing exercises. The spokesperson declared, “The reckless war drill of the U.S. and the ROK warmongers is seriously threatening the security environment of the DPRK and pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region to extreme tension.”
British warships have also reportedly joined the exercise, entering South Korea’s Busan operational base and augmenting the multinational nature of the drills carried out by “UN Command” member states. This development is seen as escalating military threats against the DPRK.
The DPRK warned that the military drills are shifting the balance of power in the region and labeled the U.S. and ROK as the “chief culprits” disrupting peace on the Korean Peninsula. In response, the DPRK military plans to enhance its readiness and will address military provocations by these hostile forces with “proper and indiscriminate exercises of the right to self-defense.”
