North Korea Condemns ROK-US Joint Exercises as "War Drills"... Possibility of Military Provocations

North Korea's Ministry of Defense "Strongly Condemns Reckless Military Provocations"
Experts "Cannot Rule Out Possibility of Clashes in the West Sea Five Islands"

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un attended and delivered a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a local industrial factory in Seongcheon County, South Pyongan Province on the 28th of last month, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 29th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

North Korea strongly opposed the start of the regular joint exercise "Freedom Shield" (FS) by South Korea and the United States from the 4th, calling it a "war exercise."

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 5th, the North Korean Ministry of Defense pointed out in a spokesperson's statement that "the United States and the Republic of Korea have once again launched a provocative large-scale joint military exercise that amplifies unpredictability in the situation of the armistice area."

The Ministry of Defense stated, "This exercise includes an outdoor maneuver training plan that has doubled compared to last year, and even mobilizes the military forces of 11 subordinate countries belonging to the so-called United Nations Command, which has no legitimate reason to exist," emphasizing, "In the Korean Peninsula region where the conditions for ignition that can trigger a nuclear war with a single spark have matured, a large-scale war exercise conducted by the world's largest nuclear power and about ten subordinate countries in collusion against a single country can never be called defensive."

It continued, "The Ministry of Defense of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly condemns the reckless military exercise frenzy of the United States and the Republic of Korea, which are further exposing their military threats and invasion attempts against a sovereign state," and "sternly warns to cease any further provocative and destabilizing actions."

Furthermore, it said, "We will continue to closely monitor the adversaries' adventurous actions and carry out responsible military activities to strongly control the unstable security environment in the Korean Peninsula," adding, "The United States and the Republic of Korea will pay a corresponding price as they deeply feel the security instability caused by their wrong choices at a serious level every moment."

In particular, the Ministry of Defense stated, "The frenzied war exercise frenzy of the South Korean puppet forces and subordinate factions under U.S. leadership, which sharply contrasts with the reality of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea where large-scale military forces are deployed for economic construction to improve the people's welfare, reconfirms the root cause of regional instability and clearly points out who is the real culprit threatening humanity with nuclear weapons."

This is interpreted as referring to North Korea's recent deployment of military forces for factory and housing construction to develop local economies. Earlier, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a local industrial factory held in Seongcheon County, South Pyongan Province, on the 28th of last month, where the 124th Regiment of the Korean People's Army was deployed for the factory construction.

Meanwhile, the "Freedom Shield" joint exercise, which began the previous day, will be conducted until the 14th. On the first day, U.S. military RC-135V (Rivet Joint) reconnaissance aircraft and South Korean Air Force high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance Global Hawk (RQ-4) were deployed, and during the exercise period, the possibility of deployment of U.S. strategic assets such as strategic bombers and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to the Korean Peninsula is also being discussed.

There are concerns that North Korea will further escalate military provocations in response to the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise.

Professor Im Eul-chul of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Gyeongnam National University explained, "Chairman Kim Jong-un pointed out in his policy speech at the Supreme People's Assembly that 'the risk of war breaking out due to escalation from physical clashes has significantly increased and reached a dangerous level,'" adding, "It is a reality that the possibility of clashes in the West Sea Five Islands leading to escalation cannot be ruled out."