North Korea has criticized the start of the annual joint military exercise “Freedom Shield” (FS) by South Korean and U.S. military authorities from today (10th), describing it as a dangerous and provocative act that escalates the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an extreme.
In a statement titled “America’s Increasing Show of Force Will Lead to an Aggravated Security Crisis,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry argued that the U.S. and South Korea are only reinforcing the justification for a strong stance against America. It warned that the U.S. should be mindful of facing undesirable consequences in the form of heightened security threats.
The Foreign Ministry noted that this is the first such exercise since the Trump administration took office, remarking that the U.S.’s consistent military antics show its inherent hostility towards North Korea, focusing on sanctions, pressure, and confrontation regardless of any policy ambiguity following a regime change.
It detailed the contents of the FS, mentioning increased outdoor mobility exercises, a joint command and control exercise by U.S. Space Forces in Korea, and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.
The statement also expressed concern that during this FS exercise, there are attempts to apply “Operational Plan 2022,” which aims at “preemptive strikes on North Korean nuclear facilities,” in accordance with the “Guidelines on Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations” adopted by South Korea and the U.S. leaders last July.
The ministry claimed that the U.S.’s reckless behavior and irrational choices, marked by the largest military provocation in history this year, will negatively impact America’s security. It reiterated its policy of strengthening nuclear forces, stating that its responsible efforts towards establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region through reliable power, accompanied by the rapid growth of nuclear forces, will be doubled.
The South Korean and U.S. military authorities will conduct the FS exercise from today until the 20th, involving a full-scale command post exercise (CPX) simulating a full-fledged war situation on the Korean Peninsula. This will be linked to combined outdoor maneuver exercises (FTX) across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains.
[Photo Source: Yonhap News]
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