North Korea condemned on Saturday recent joint military drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, warning that it would take immediate actions if needed to defend the state.
Last week, the three countries held a three-day joint exercise, dubbed “Freedom Edge”, featuring fighter jets and marine patrol aircraft as well as the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS George Washington.
“We strongly warn the U.S. and its followers hostile towards the DPRK to immediately stop the hostile acts of further causing provocation and instability that can drive the military confrontation in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity into a real armed conflict,” the North’s defence ministry said, using the country’s official name.
The military would keep all options available and take immediate actions if needed to preemptively control risk, while closely watching military activity by the U.S. and its allies, it said in a statement carried by state media KCNA.
Led by the USS George Washington carrier and its jet fighters, the Freedom Edge naval exercise in waters south of the Korean peninsula and west of Japan’s main islands comes after a pact brokered by Biden in 2023 in which Seoul and Tokyo put aside years of mutual animosity and agreed to trilateral security cooperation with Washington.
Biden, who leaves the White House in January, also pushed to extend the three-way cooperation to technology, supply chain security and cyber defences.
Trump’s allies in June assured officials in Japan and South Korea that he would support deeper three-way ties, sources earlier told Reuters. In his first term Trump pressured Tokyo and Seoul to pay more for the U.S. forces they host, which in Japan include amphibious units and naval warships that Washington could deploy to defend neighbouring Taiwan from any attack from China.
Tensions have increased on the Korean peninsula in the last few months. Pyongyang has increasingly been in the news over multiple missile tests and for sending troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. North Korea has also blown-up road and rail link with its South Korea.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
