In a statement, the ministry’s spokesperson condemned the recent joint US-South Korean military exercise and the planned deployment of US F-35A jets in South Korea. Moreover, the spokesperson decried the recent test launch of an intermediate-range cruise missile by the United States and the potential deployment of US fighters in Japan, saying these moves fueled the regional arms race.
"We remain unchanged in our position to resolve all issues in a peaceful manner through dialogue and negotiation. However, dialogue accompanied by military threats is of no interest to us," the spokesperson said, as quoted by the official KCNA news agency.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has been engaged in dialogue to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula with US President Donald Trump. However, the talks reached a deadlock in February as the two leaders’ summit in Vietnam ended abruptly without any disagreement.
In late June, Kim and Trump met again to agree on resuming the dialogue and holding working-level consultations. However, the tensions around North Korea have still been mounting over the past months amid multiple weapons tests by Pyongyang and the US-South Korean military drills, which took place earlier in August and were met with criticism from North Korea.