Pyongyang
North Korea strongly criticized upcoming joint military exercises involving the United States, South Korea, and Japan, warning that such actions threaten regional peace and stability. According to state media reports on Sunday, Seoul will begin two simultaneous drills on Monday: Freedom Edge, a large-scale trilateral outdoor exercise, and Iron Mace, a tabletop drill simulating nuclear-attack responses with the US.
Kim Yo Jong, senior official of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), condemned the exercises, calling the US-South Korea “Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Operations” a dangerous scheme. She said North Korea views these moves as direct proof of hostile intentions and continuation of confrontational policies. Kim warned that such displays of force would inevitably harm the three countries themselves.
Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the WPK’s Central Military Commission, went further, calling Iron Mace a “nuclear war rehearsal from start to finish” and describing Freedom Edge as the most aggressive war drill in scale and nature. He said these military maneuvers seriously threaten North Korea’s security and risk escalating regional tensions.
Pak stressed that if Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo persist with “muscle-flexing,” North Korea will retaliate with strong and intensified countermeasures.
Since the breakdown of denuclearization talks in 2019, Pyongyang has repeatedly vowed never to abandon its nuclear arsenal, declaring itself an “irreversible” nuclear state. Its position has strengthened further through its alignment with Moscow. North Korean troops have reportedly fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, and last year, leader Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defense pact with President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Pyongyang.
North Korea’s latest warnings highlight worsening regional tensions amid rising military activity.
