North Korea has threatened to unleash “unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions” if South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military exercises as part of effort to fend off the North’s growing nuclear and missile threats, local media reported.
A spokesperson for North Korea’s foreign ministry issued the warning on Friday before the annual Freedom Shield joint military exercises of South Korea and the US and accused Washington of stoking tension by conducting earlier drills which included US stealth fighters and a BI-B strategic bomber that can be equipped with nuclear weapons.
“In case the US and South Korea carry into practice their already-announced plan for military drills, they will face unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions,” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported quoting the spokesperson.
The spokesperson reiterated that the joint exercises between Washington and Seoul were preparations for an invasion of North Korea, Yonhap reported.
Describing the US-South Korean drills as “their dangerous attempt to gain a long-term military edge” over North Korea, the spokesperson predicted that the situation on the Korean Peninsula “will be again plunged into the grave vortex of escalating tension”. —Al Jazeera And News Agency
