North Korea issues stern denouncement of annual joint military exercises between the US and South Korea

North Korea has strongly criticized the annual joint military exercises carried out by the United States and South Korea. Following the recent summit at Camp David, where trilateral agreements were reached between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, Pyongyang issued a stark warning about the possibility of a “thermonuclear war.”

The Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises, which began on Monday, aim to strengthen collaborative responses to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. North Korea has consistently labeled these drills as rehearsals for war.

According to a report from North Korea’s KCNA news agency, the country described the Camp David summit as a platform for planning a “nuclear war provocation.” The commentary expressed concern that if the agreements from the summit were implemented in the war drills, the chances of a “thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula” could become more realistic.

The statement further indicated that the current situation demands its military to take proactive, offensive, and forceful actions for war, without elaborating further.

In a significant trilateral summit held at Camp David on August 18, the leaders of the United States, South Korea, and Japan agreed to strengthen their military and economic ties. This summit, convened by the Biden administration, aimed to present a united front against China’s ascendancy and the nuclear threats posed by North Korea.

After the meeting, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that the nations had decided to enhance “our joint response capabilities to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which have become more sophisticated than ever.”

Reuters reported that South Korean lawmakers speculate that North Korea might respond to the ongoing drills by test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile or engaging in other military actions to protest or react to the recent trilateral summit.