North Korea: U.S.-South Korea drills push tensions to 'brink of nuclear war'
North Korea said joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea are bringing tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the "brink of nuclear war" and vowed to respond with "offensive measures."Back in March, US and South Korean forces began a series of annual spring military exercises, including their first large-scale amphibious landing exercises in five years. A US aircraft carrier as well as B-1B and B-52 bombers are involved in the joint air and sea exercises.
On Thursday, North Korea's official news agency KCNA issued an op-ed by Choe Ju-hyon, whom it identified as an international security analyst, describing the drills as "a trigger for escalating the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink.""The ruthless military confrontation hysteria of the US and its supporters against the DPRK is driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula towards irreversible catastrophe, ... on the brink of nuclear war," read the commentary, using North Korea's official name as its acronym, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea .
It also warned that "the exercises have turned the Korean Peninsula into a giant powder magazine ready to be detonated at any moment" and that the international community is currently "hoping that the dark clouds of nuclear war hanging over the Korean Peninsula be removed as soon as possible."The US deployed its nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Korean peninsula on Wednesday to show its strength against Pyongyang on the pretext that Pyongyang could conduct a nuclear test. It was the first time US long-range bombers had been sent to the peninsula in a month.
The drills "demonstrate the strong determination of the [South] Korea-US alliance and their perfect readiness to respond swiftly and overwhelmingly to any provocation by North Korea," Lt. Gen. Park Ha-sik, commander of South Korea's Air Force Command, said in a statement.Seoul and Washington ended their regular spring exercises called Freedom Shield 23 last month, but are now conducting amphibious landing exercises. Last month, the US and South Korean militaries conducted their largest field exercises in five years, as well as computer simulations for command post training.
Last week, the US also sent its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to South Korea for naval training.On Monday, the navies of the US, South Korea and Japan began their first anti-submarine drills in six months, ostensibly to strengthen their coordination against what they have called a growing missile threat from North Korea.The US has a permanent military presence in South Korea, with approximately 28,500 troops at its bases across the country.
North Korea's ruler Kim Jong-un recently called on his military to be ready for war.North Korea, which declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power last year, is trying to diversify the delivery mechanisms for its nuclear weapons. The military conducted a target practice late last month simulating a nuclear attack using tactical ballistic missiles.
