North Korea called the ongoing South Korean-U.S. military drills a conspiracy to seize the country, as it threatened to take unspecified military steps in response.
North Korea gave the warning as the South Korean and US forces outset their annual computer-simulated command post training and various field exercises for an 11-day run.
This year’s drills were to involve 48 field exercises which is over twice the number conducted last year.
‘We strongly criticize the rash military drills of the U.S. and South Korea for getting more transparency in their military threat to a sovereign state and attempt for occupying it’, said the North’s Defence Ministry in a statement carried by state media.
An unidentified ministry spokesperson stated, ‘North Korea’s military will continue to watch the daring acts of the enemies and conduct accountable military activities to strongly control the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.’
The spokesperson didn’t say what measures North Korea would take, but observers say North Korea will likely carry out missile tests or other steps to bolster its war capability.
Previously North Korea reacted to South Korean-U.S. exercises with launches of a barrage of missiles into the sea.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said last week
Last week, South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said, ‘This year’s military drills with the United States were designed to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats and will involve live-firing, bombing, air assault and missile interception drills’.
In the past two years, concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program have grown as the North has test-launched missiles at a record pace and threatened to use nuclear weapons.
South Korea and the United States have enlarged their military exercises and increased the arrangement of powerful U.S. military assets such as aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable bombers in response.
North Korea performed six rounds of missile tests and artillery firing drills this year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also declared ‘My country won’t seek reunion with South Korea and pledge to scrap the country’s long-running goal of peaceful unification with South Korea.
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