North Korea condemned the 11-day military exercises between the US and South Korea, threatening to continue exercising its right to self-defense to counter what it called "military threats" from both sides, "Reuters" reported on Wednesday, citing state media KCNA.
The KCNA commentary called the US and South Korea "warmongers" who are raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The criticism comes after US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to significantly reduce US participation in the annual exercises and mentioned their "very good relations" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Trump also said Monday that Kim had responded to his request, without disclosing the nature of the contact.
The exercises began as scheduled on Monday, but South Korean media reported that the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Xavier Brunson, visited South Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday to discuss plans to scale back the exercises.
Trump is seeking to resume engagement with Kim, under whose leadership North Korea has expanded its nuclear weapons and missile programs despite U.N. sanctions.
The KCNA comment did not mention Trump or his actions.
The criticism also comes after South Korean President Lee Jae-myun said Tuesday that the exercises were defensive in nature and South Korea had no intention of using them to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. peninsula.
Pyongyang routinely denounces allied exercises as hostile, while Washington and Seoul say the drills are defensive and necessary to maintain readiness against North Korea's military threats.
KCNA said the allies' actions would worsen tensions on the peninsula and in the broader Asia-Pacific region. The KCNA comment did not specify what measures North Korea would take.