North Korea criticized a joint military exercise by South Korea, Japan and the United States held this month, state media said on Sunday, saying such drills show the relationship among three countries has developed into "the Asian version of NATO".
On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale joint military drills called "Freedom Edge" involving navy destroyers, fighter jets and the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, aimed at boosting defenses against missiles, submarines and air attacks.
The exercise was devised at the three-way summit at Camp David last year to strengthen military cooperation amid tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from North Korea's weapons testing.
Pyongyang will not ignore the strengthening of a military bloc led by the U.S. and its allies and will protect regional peace with an aggressive and overwhelming response, North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement, according to KCNA news agency.
The ministry also said Washington was continuing its effort to link up South Korea and Japan to NATO, adding South Korea's attempts to supply weapons to Ukraine is one example of that effort.
South Korea said it would review the possibility of supplying arms directly to Ukraine, in protest against a recent mutual defense pact signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
South Korea and the United States have accused the North of supplying weapons to Russia that are being used in the Ukraine war. Both Russia and North Korea deny any such transactions.
On Saturday, North Korea's ruling party held a key meeting on the second day, presided by Kim, who addressed "deviations" hampering economic development and laid out the focus for the second half of the year, state media said.
North Korea has long condemned joint drills between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.
Last year, the three countries staged joint naval missile defense and anti-submarine exercises to improve responses to North Korean threats.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
34 Comments
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SwissToni
Collective defence being the imperialists mortal enemy they would say that wouldn’t they?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Kimmy not happy with his own "allies"?
Mr Goodman
Ukraine isn't worth starting WW3 over !
What on earth are you saying ?
Mr Goodman
Protecting regional peace with aggressive overwhelming force ?
Hmm....not a good idea
TaiwanIsNotChina
Ukraine is worth setting some limitations for Putin over.
rivx
Fat boy Kimmy and his sister constatnly
whining lol they just a short fat joke
isabelle
And there's your problem, Kim: your own aggression. If you weren't threatening to turn South Korea into a sea of fire, and firing missiles all over the place (including right over Japan), etc., other countries wouldn't gang up on you. But you do, so they do.
Just like with China and Russia, it's the authoritarian countries' own actions that cause a response from the free world.
Tony W.
Obviously Fat Boy is starting to get worried; keep up the joint operations!
SaikoPhysco
Just after their ally left... or I should said their Dictator friend, Putin, they critize Japan and S. Korea for doing just what they just did.
Yrral
Now that Biden has been exposed for not taking care of America business,lots of insecure world leaders,are having doubts about their own existence,lots of time American are bluffing adversaries,that are not even worth their time bothering with
Mocheake
Yup. Just so you don't start getting any bright ideas, Doughboy. We are right on your doorstep to give you a Fourth of July fireworks show like you wouldn't believe and won't ever forget.
Haaa Nemui
Better to have friends and not need them than need them and not have them
Yrral
A insecure friend indeed is not needed friend, in America, American generally do not like cowards, especially insecure ones
Yoyogi59
Toothy load on the carrier. F15s. How do they move and take off? There has to be some way.
Agent_Neo
Russia recently made a similar criticism, but will China follow suit?
The Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and North Korea - all of them who support aggression - will likely say similar things.
If South Korea also takes over as president with a left-wing power, they may start saying the same thing. Former President Moon Jae-in just said, "We share a dream with China."
OssanAmerica
Not a single F-15 on the deck. Those are FA-18s. And all planes are not on deck at once during operations
Abe234
When you got a few bad boys on the block the neighbors have to work together. Russia, China, and North Korea are those neighbors who want to disturb the neighborhood.
Speed
Why, thank you. That's a very nice thing to say of you
voiceofokinawa
The deployment of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in waters near North Korea no doubt signals that the U.S. is ready to attack North Korea anytime soon.
And so, one must know how they, the North Koreans, feel about it. Is a war really imminent on Korean Peninsula?
wallace
The US and SK will not be attacking NK.
voiceofokinawa
Wallace,
Like you say, I'm sure that the U.S. and South Korea will not be attacking North Korea. But North Korea might take it differently. The U.S. and S.K. forces might be coming to take them over, they fear.’
It is out of such a misunderstanding that a more serious conflict is engendered and flares up beyond anyone’s control.
wallace
Both SK and NK have given up on a united Korea.
NB
Bidenist America has expanded NATO in East Europe, thus creating a major international crisis The same Bidenist America applies the same methods in East Asia. Japan should not take part in this.
/dev/random
I must say, I have heard a lot of bull in this matter, but blaming the current events on the accession of Macedonia and Montenegro to the NATO -- which both countries initiated more than fifteen years ago -- is a new one. Bonus points for creativity.
TaiwanIsNotChina
That's quite impressive that Biden did this in 2004.
wallace
NATO is building its largest European base in Romanian. Bigger than those in Germany. It is a NATO decision, not an American one.
SwissToni
Only one country has ever been required to join NATO, West Germany as was, in order to end the post WWII occupation. All other members have applied and (eventually in some cases) been approved. This will happen when there’s an expansionist dictatorship on the doorstep.
ian
Well we know what comes next.
It has become normal now, joint exercises followed by missile tests, which in turn will trigger another joint exercises...
NB
Japan is pressured to join a NATO-like framework in East Asia. This is not the interest of the Japanese people. Japan used to live in peace with Korea during the Tokugawa period, and should live in peace with Korea now. Japan should not interfere militarily in Korea, and Korea should not interfere militarily in Japan.
SwissToni
NB, no pressure on Japan to Join a NATO like organisation at all. Japan already has Defense cooperation treaties with its partners.
That said, in my opinion the region would be well advised to work towards mutual defense with three aggressive expansionist states flexing their muscles.
NB
Korea has never exerted any expansionism throughout its history. (Unfortunately, Japan did, against its own interest.) Korea only wants to manage its life according to its own style. Japan should let Korea alone, and concentrate in solving its own problems.
SwissToni
>
SwissToni
Didn’t do that well did I? Anyway;
Recorded history suggests otherwise. There isn’t a country or territory on the planet that hasn’t flirted with, and been the victim of empire at some point. The Three Kingdoms and the Empire of Korea’s is well documented.
Glad you acknowledge the threats from Russia and the PRC. Now ask yourself if the DPRK isn’t showing signs of totalitarianism and the desire to reclaim the south.
NB
I do not acknowledge this.
The political system of Korea and the relations between the two parts of Korea are the business of Korea. Japan should mind its own business.