North Korea Reacts to the US-ROK Joint Exercise
South Korean Military, “Thoroughly Prepared for North Korean Provocations”
Scene of North Korea’s cruise missile launch (archive photo) ⓒ Korean Central News Agency
As the U.S.-South Korea joint exercise, the Freedom Shield (FS), is underway, North Korea has indicated the possibility of provocations, citing potential security instability. Our military has reaffirmed its “overwhelming response to direct provocations” policy and demonstrated its deterrent power.
“The U.S.-South Korea joint exercise is a defensive military exercise regularly conducted yearly to prepare for North Korean provocations and aggression,” the Ministry of National Defense stated on the 5th. “Our military is thoroughly prepared for North Korean provocations under the solid U.S.-South Korea joint defense position.”
The Ministry of National Defense emphasized, “If North Korea makes a direct provocation using the joint exercise as an excuse, we will respond overwhelmingly according to the ‘immediate, strong, and persistent’ principle.”
Earlier, the North Korean Ministry of National Defense spokesman suggested a counter-provocation, stating in a speech announced through the state-run Korean Central News Agency this morning, “The United States and South Korea have once again launched a provocative large-scale joint military exercise that amplifies unpredictability in the situation of the armistice area.”
The spokesperson conveyed, “This exercise includes an outdoor mobility training plan that has doubled compared to last year,” and “forces from eleven subservient nations, belonging to the so-called ‘UN Military Command,’ have been mobilized, even without a legitimate cause for existence.”
Continuing, “In the Korean Peninsula region, where conditions for igniting a nuclear war are mature even with a single spark, a large-scale war exercise conducted by the world’s largest nuclear-owning country and over ten subservient countries against a single country (North Korea) cannot be called ‘defensive’ at all,” was stated.
Especially, “We will continue to monitor the adventurous actions of the enemies” and “We will continue our responsible military activities to strongly control the unstable security environment in the Korean Peninsula region” were mentioned.
Adding, “The United States and South Korea will pay the appropriate price by experiencing the security instability that their wrong choices will bring at a severe level,” which is interpreted as a warning of various provocations targeting the United States and South Korea.
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