North Korea has criticized the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea that began this week. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, described them as a “provocative and aggressive military rehearsal“ that threatens stability in the region, Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
According to Kim Yo Jong, the annual “Freedom Shield“ exercises reveal the “usual hostile policy“ of the allies towards North Korea and “will further weaken regional stability“. The maneuvers involve about 18,000 military personnel, and the show of force, she said, could lead to “unimaginable consequences“.
The sister of the North Korean leader stressed that recent global geopolitical crises and international events have shown the lack of distinction between defense and offense, as well as between training and real combat, when it comes to the actions of “hostile forces“.
For their part, South Korea and the United States have indicated that the exercises, held from March 9 to 19, are defensive in nature. They include deterrence scenarios related to North Korea's nuclear weapons, as well as preparations for the transfer of operational control from the United States to South Korea in the event of war.
The exercises follow the congress of North Korea's ruling party in February, at which Kim Jong-un announced that he would focus on expanding the country's nuclear arsenal.