Pyongyang may respond with an "offensive action" to joint military drills conducted by Washington and Seoul, a North Korean media outlet has quoted "international security analyst" Choe Ju Hyon as saying.
In an article published in the outlet, Choe slammed the exercises as "a trigger for driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the point of explosion."
US soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Battalion participate in a Warrior Shield live fire exercise at a military training field in Pocheon on March 22, 2023, as part of the Freedom Shield joint military exercise
© AFP 2023 / JUNG YEON-JE
"The reckless military confrontational hysteria of the US and its followers against the DPRK [North Korea] is driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an irreversible catastrophe ... to the brink of a nuclear war," according to the author.
The analyst argued that the US-South Korea drills have turned the peninsula into "a huge powder magazine which can be detonated any moment."
The US and South Korean forces have been carrying out an array of annual springtime military exercises since March, which in particular saw air and sea drills involving a US aircraft carrier and strategic bombers B-1B and B-52 bombers.
According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, the exercises aim to show Washington’s and Seoul’s "extended deterrence" against alleged North Korean threats.
In February, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned that the US and South Korea would face “unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions” if they carry out planned military drills this year that Pyongyang regards as “preparations for an aggression war.”