Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The United States and South Korea kicked off the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” joint military exercise on Monday, drawing the ire of North Korea, which called the exercise “provocative” and “aggressive.”

The Institute for American Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea released a statement aiming to “expose the divisive and delusional actions of the United States and the Republic of Korea which are further intensifying military confrontation and contradictions in the region by carrying out aggressive large-scale joint military exercises.”

North Korea accused the United States of increasing its military presence in and around the Korean Peninsula, including nuclear submarines and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

The North also said the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises included training aimed at occupying Pyongyang and a simulation of a nuclear confrontation. It doubted the exercises will be monitored fairly.

“The majority of the countries that will be ‘monitoring’ whether the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises are being conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Korean Armistice Agreement are members of the United Nations Command or NATO member states that operate under the baton of the US, so it is self-evident that they will not be showing any neutrality or fairness whatsoever.”

The North said America’s training exercises were becoming “more menacing.”

“The US-led joint military exercises have nothing to do with ‘maintaining regional security’ but are merely a political and military tool to get more countries on board the wagon for the realization of US hegemony.”

“We will continue to make great efforts to build a strong defense capability that can firmly safeguard our national sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity, and to change the security environment on the Korean peninsula and in the region in our favor.”

A statement from the North’s Foreign Ministry also took a shot at Ukraine for its incursion into Russia.

“Recently, Ukraine launched an armed aggression against Russia’s sacred territory, committing a very serious terrorist crime, killing dozens of peaceful residents and injuring hundreds more.”

“The Zelensky puppet authorities’ reckless military provocations are nothing more than a last-ditch effort to somehow salvage an increasingly unfavorable situation on the battlefield, secure crucial military support from their US and Western masters to prolong their lifespan and create fear in Russian society and shake up public sentiment.”

The statement said the “United States and its followers bear full responsibility for this situation, which could plunge all of Europe into a new all-out war.”

It concluded: “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will always stand by the Russian Federation, which has bravely taken up the fight for international justice and will continue to strongly support and assist the Russian armed forces and people in their holy struggle to defend the sovereignty and security interests of the nation.”