North Korea slams U.S. drills as rehearsals for attack

Seoul

North Korea has strongly criticized recent military exercises held by the United States, South Korea, and Japan, accusing them of being rehearsals for preemptive strikes against the North.

In an article published Saturday by the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official newspaper, Pyongyang claimed the joint drills are aggressive in nature. The newspaper cited recent air drills near Japan and logistics exercises between South Korean and US Marines as examples.

“These are aimed at conducting preemptive strikes against our Republic,” the article said, urging an end to what it called "indiscriminate military actions" by the three nations.

The article also attacked the growing military cooperation among the US, South Korea, and Japan, calling it a strategy to "crush" North Korea. It said strengthening North Korea’s own defense is a natural response.

Tensions have risen recently as South Korea boosts three-way military coordination with its allies amid continued nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang.

On Friday, North Korea again criticized the US and Japan, claiming their alliance has become a “nuclear coalition.” The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published an article accusing Washington and Tokyo of threatening regional peace by upgrading extended deterrence talks and holding nuclear-related drills.

Extended deterrence refers to America’s promise to defend its allies using all available military tools, including nuclear weapons.

North Korea pointed to recent visits by Japanese officials to a US B-52 bomber base and military drills that simulated nuclear conflict. It also claimed the deployment of US nuclear assets in Guam, Japan, and Hawaii is pushing the region into a “dangerous” state.