North Korea has warned the United States and South Korea that military exercises planned this month will be met with “unprecedented strong and persistent reactions”.
The hermit nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the threat on Friday after South Korea and the United States announced joint military exercises were planned that would focus on addressing North Korea’s growing nuclear viability.
UNITED STATES AND SOUTH KOREA PROMISE TO INCREASE NUCLEAR DETERRENCE AGAINST NORTH KOREAN AGGRESSION
A U.S. B-52 bomber, C-17 and South Korean Air Force F-35 fighter jets fly over the Korean peninsula during a joint air exercise in South Korea, Dec. 20, 2022. (South Korean Ministry of Defense via AP)
“In the event that the United States and South Korea implement their already announced plan for military exercises that [North Korea] – with just apprehension and reason – consider preparations for a war of aggression, they will face unprecedented persistent and strong countermeasures,” the ministry wrote.
North Korea has long accused the United States and South Korea of using joint military exercises as a pretext to try to invade the isolated communist country.
SOUTH KOREA CONSIDERS NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT FOR FIRST TIME IN THE FACE OF GROWING THREAT TO NORTH KOREA’S SECURITY
Test launch of a hypersonic missile on January 11, 2022 in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
“This predicts that the situation on the Korean peninsula and the region will once again be plunged into the severe maelstrom of tension escalation,” the North Korean statement continued.
South Korea called North Korea “our enemy” for the first time in six years in its biennial defense document released on Thursday.
SPECULATION SWIMMING ABOUT NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM’S DAUGHTER AFTER A NOTE APPEARANCE: IS HE HIS SUCESSOR?
Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, Feb. 28, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
“North Korea does not give up its nuclear weapons and constantly poses military threats to us, so the North Korean government and military…are our enemies,” the document reads.
His rival’s country description in defense newspapers typically reflects the relationship between the two. During past bouts of animosity, South Korea has referred to its neighbor as its “major enemy,” “current enemy,” or “enemy.”
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When the reports were in better shape, such references were not made.
