New warning from Pyongyang. Any interception of missiles that the North Korea tests over the Pacific Ocean, during the next US-South Korea joint military exercises“shall be considered a clear declaration of war against the DPRK [République populaire démocratique de Corée] », to have you Kim Yo-youngthe very powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the address of Washington, quoted Tuesday by the North Korean official agency KCNA.
“The Pacific Ocean is not under the domination of the United States or Japan,” she insisted, while the United States and the South Korea neighbor are preparing to conduct their largest joint military maneuvers since 2018. North Korea “always stands ready to take appropriate, swift and overwhelming action at any time”, she warned, calling recent “extremely frenetic” military exercises in Washington and Seoul.
In addition to the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” maneuvers between US and South Korean forces that will begin on March 13 for at least 10 days, Washington and Seoul held joint air exercises this week with a nuclear-capable US B-52 heavy bomber.
Instability on the Korean Peninsula
Washington and Seoul say they are defense exercises, but Pyongyang sees them as dress rehearsals for an invasion of its territory or an overthrow of its regime. North Korea’s foreign minister on Tuesday accused the United States of “intentionally” raising tensions in the region.
“The recent joint air exercises (…) clearly show that the plan to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK is proceeding at the pace of a real war,” he denounced, in a separate press release.
“We deeply regret the irresponsible and disturbing moves by the United States and South Korea, which constantly push the situation on the Korean Peninsula towards instability,” the ministry said, also quoted by KCNA.
Relations au point mort
As relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest for several years, South Korea and the United States have decided to intensify their joint exercises and redeploy American strategic resources in the region.
These exercises inevitably arouse the ire of neighboring North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently called for a “exponential” increase in North Korean arms productionincluding tactical nuclear weapons, and her sister described the Pacific as her country’s “firing range.”
On Sunday, Pyongyang called on the United Nations to demand that Seoul and Washington end their joint military maneuvers, saying its nuclear weapons guaranteed the balance of power in the region.