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\n\t\t\t\tA U.S. Navy sailor fires a shot line during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, July 8, 2026. (Alexander Bussman\/U.S. Navy)
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North Korea has denounced the ongoing Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii<\/a>, warning the U.S.-led multinational military drills will prompt a series of \u201cproportional countermeasures,\u201d according to state-run media.<\/p>\n A commentary published Friday by the Korean Central News Agency accused the United States and its allies of expanding military cooperation and turning the Pacific \u201cinto a battlefield permeated with the smell of gunpowder.\u201d
<\/p>\n KCNA \u2014 the official voice of North Korea and the ruling Workers\u2019 Party \u2014 did not specify what countermeasures Pyongyang might take, but past actions include ballistic missile and weapons tests.<\/p>\n The commentary singled out the participation of the nuclear-powered USS Theodore Roosevelt <\/a>aircraft carrier in the exercise, accusing Washington of escalating military tensions and preparing for war. <\/p>\n Rim of the Pacific \u2014 commonly called RIMPAC \u2014 is a \u201cwar rehearsal\u201d that is \u201craising violent waves of aggravated tension in the Pacific,\u201d KCNA said. Pyongyang cannot remain a \u201cpassive onlooker\u201d as Washington and its allies fuel regional instability, according to the commentary. <\/p>\n KCNA warned that \u201can undesirable contingency may occur soon on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the region.\u201d
<\/p>\n RIMPAC is the world\u2019s largest international maritime exercise, according to U.S. Pacific Command.
<\/p>\n Held every two years and hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, this summer\u2019s exercise began June 24 and runs through July 31. It includes forces from 30 nations with more than 30 ships, over 206 aircraft and roughly 30,000 personnel, according to the command\u2019s June 25 press release.
<\/p>\n \t\t \n\t\t\t\tU.S. Navy sailors assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt heave around the phone-and-distance line during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, July 8, 2026. (Aaron Haro Gonzalez\/U.S. Navy) South Korea is serving as the combined maritime component commander for this year\u2019s exercise, the first Asian nation to hold the role, according to the South Korean navy\u2019s June 1 press release.
<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s commentary criticized Seoul\u2019s role as the component commander, accusing it of acting as Washington\u2019s \u201cpuppet\u201d and of intensifying its confrontational stance toward Pyongyang.
<\/p>\n In March 2025, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles<\/a> off its western coast at the start of Freedom Shield, an annual large-scale military exercise by the United States and South Korea.<\/p>\n![\"Sailors](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/210726NK-RIMPACphoto01.jpg\")
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