North Korea has condemned upcoming US-South Korea military exercises, warning that the drills could further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and prompting Pyongyang to threaten a stronger military deterrent.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are scheduled to run from Aug. 17 to Aug. 27 and will include training designed to counter drones, GPS disruptions and cyberattacks, Al Jazeera reported.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States and its allies of turning military cooperation into a nuclear alliance and said Pyongyang would respond to what it described as a growing threat.
“The US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance,” a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea said its policy was to respond to a higher level of threat with a higher level of deterrence.
Pyongyang has routinely condemned US-South Korea military exercises as preparations for an invasion, while Washington and Seoul maintain that the drills are defensive in nature.
The upcoming exercises are expected to reflect lessons from modern conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, as the allies adapt their training to North Korea’s evolving military capabilities.
US and South Korean officials have said the exercises will account for changes in the threat environment, including battlefield lessons North Korea may have gained from its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea is estimated to have sent thousands of troops to support Russian forces in the conflict, giving its military personnel direct battlefield experience, according to reports.
Pyongyang also accused Washington of lowering its threshold for using nuclear weapons and said the United States was pushing the world “to the brink of nuclear war.”
The latest warning comes after North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast on Wednesday, its second such launch in less than a week.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are expected to involve about 18,000 South Korean troops alongside personnel from the roughly 28,500-strong US military contingent stationed in South Korea.
With the drills approaching and North Korea continuing to develop its nuclear and missile capabilities, the latest exchange of threats has added another layer of tension to the already fragile security situation on the Korean Peninsula.