North Korea has condemned upcoming military exercises by the US and South Korea, saying they are more provocative than last year’s drills, state media said.
Pyongyang has accused Washington, Seoul and Tokyo of turning their military cooperation into a nuclear alliance and warned it would boost its deterrence capabilities in response to what it sees as a threat.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises will take place between Aug. 17-27. The drills will involve training to counter drone operations, GPS interference and cyberattacks, reflecting 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 condemned the exercises, accusing them of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang also pledged to strengthen 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 condemned US nuclear cooperation with South Korea and its extended-deterrence commitments to Japan.
The latest warning comes after North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast Wednesday.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from the Wonsan area, about six days after another ballistic missile was launched from the same location.