North Korea Condemns Upcoming South Korea–U.S. Military Drills, Warns of Retaliation
North Korea has condemned an upcoming joint military exercise by South Korea and the United States as a “direct military provocation,” warning of decisive retaliation despite recent signs of thawing tensions on the Korean Peninsula under Seoul’s new leadership.
In a statement carried by state-run KCNA on Monday, North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol declared the country’s armed forces had an “absolute mission” to safeguard national security against the large-scale, 11-day drills, which he claimed pose “a real and dangerous threat.”
“The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the U.S. and the South with thoroughgoing and resolute counteraction posture and will strictly exercise the sovereign right,” No said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The minister accused Washington and Seoul of using “defensive” exercises as a pretext for hostile intent, further destabilising regional security.
North Korea has long branded such drills as rehearsals for nuclear war, even while conducting its own missile launches and live-fire artillery tests.
The joint exercise, scheduled to begin on August 18, will test command, control, and troop mobilisation under an upgraded defence strategy meant to counter Pyongyang’s growing nuclear threat.
However, a major portion of the field training has been postponed until next month due to weather conditions a delay widely seen as influenced by South Korea’s liberal President Lee Jae Myung, elected in a snap vote in June, in a bid to ease tensions with the North.
Relations between the two Koreas had recently sunk to some of their lowest levels in years, with Pyongyang expanding its nuclear capabilities and forging stronger military ties with Russia. Yet in recent weeks, there have been cautious signs of a shift.
Last Saturday, Seoul reported that North Korea had begun dismantling some of its loudspeakers along the border, shortly after the South took down its own propaganda-broadcast equipment.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry also noted that Pyongyang’s tone toward the upcoming drills appeared more restrained than in the past.
“North Korea seems to be focusing on stating its position on the exercises rather than issuing direct military threats,” ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam told reporters on Monday.
Despite this, the North’s latest warning underscores the fragility of the moment with dialogue offers from both Seoul and Washington still publicly rebuffed, and the shadow of military confrontation never far from the surface.
