North Korea threatens to exercise self-defense as it slams US-South Korea military drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea expressed its intention to utilize its right to self-defense in a statement on Friday, criticizing the upcoming U.S.-South Korean military drills as a war rehearsal even more provocative than last year.

The U.S. and South Korean militaries were set to commence their annual large-scale drills on Monday, with the allies describing the scope of this year's training as similar to previous years. They emphasized that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises were intended to enhance their readiness against North Korean threats, asserting that their nature is defensive.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry, as reported by state media, called the U.S.-South Korean training "a rehearsal for an aggressive war" that was causing a new level of instability in the region. The ministry stated that North Korea would exercise a new level of deterrent to respond to a different level of threat. It also affirmed that the country would express its stance on the enemies through a responsible and decisive exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense.

North Korea further warned that the drills would be of a "more serious provocative nature and dangerousness than last year," involving all the military assets and war-fighting modes of the U.S. and South Korea. Analysts noted that North Korea often employs its adversaries' military drills as a pretext to accelerate weapons testing activities, aiming to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals and garner public support for leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Un, who has disregarded the U.S. and South Korea's offers to resume diplomacy, has since his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 focused on bolstering his nuclear arsenal as a means to secure greater concessions from the U.S. Kim has also strengthened diplomatic ties with Russia, supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia's war against Ukraine, in exchange for economic and military assistance. Recently, Kim has sought to deepen relations with China, North Korea's largest trading partner.