N. Korea condemns US-S. Korean military drills as ‘prelude to a nuclear war’

Aug 19

Ryan Robertson Anchor

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor), William Jackson (Producer), Ian Kennedy (Lead Video Editor)

U.S. and South Korean forces have kicked off their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, a massive military drill designed to boost their defense capabilities against North Korea’s ever-growing nuclear threat. The drills, which feature around 19,000 South Korean troops and a series of land, air and sea exercises, are meant to prepare both nations for threats like weapons of mass destruction, cyberattacks and GPS jamming.

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The timing couldn’t be more critical, with tensions on the Korean Peninsula hitting new heights. North Korea wasted no time condemning the exercises, calling them a “beheading operation” and a “prelude to nuclear war.”

Pyongyang’s state-run media accused the U.S. and South Korea of pushing aggressive military actions, while the North’s Foreign Ministry justified its nuclear ambitions as necessary to maintain peace and prevent war by building up its own deterrent.

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The U.S. and South Korea have stressed that these drills are strictly defensive, but there are lingering concerns about how North Korea might respond. In 2023, just before the end of a similar set of exercises, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, claiming they were in retaliation for allied air force drills.

Now, there’s a real chance that North Korea could launch another belligerent response. In early August, Kim Jong Un presided over a massive ceremony in Pyongyang, celebrating the deployment of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to the country’s frontline military units.

Kim has made it clear that he is ready to expand North Korea’s nuclear program and has even hinted at the possibility of preemptive strikes if his leadership feels threatened.

North Korea has also ramped up its psychological warfare, sending balloons filled with trash across the border into South Korea. These stunts are deepening tensions between the two Koreas.

These drills coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Camp David Summit, where U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to strengthening regional security in response to North Korean threats. The U.S. has since stepped up its strategic presence in the region, deploying bombers, submarines and aircraft carriers in a show of force.

Tags: Kim Jong Un, Military Drills, Missile Strike, missiles, Navy, North Korea, Nuclear War, Pyongyang, South Korea, South Korean Military, U.S. military

[RYAN ROBERTSON]
U.S. AND SOUTH KOREAN FORCES LAUNCHED THE 11-DAY ULCHI FREEDOM SHIELD EXERCISE ON MONDAY — A MAJOR MILITARY DRILL AIMED SQUARELY AT NORTH KOREA’S ESCALATING NUCLEAR THREAT.

WITH RISING TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA — THE STAKES COULDN’T BE HIGHER.

NORTH KOREA SHARPLY CRITICIZED THE EXERCISE — BRANDING IT A “BEHEADING OPERATION” AND A “PRELUDE TO NUCLEAR WAR.” PYONGYANG’S STATE MEDIA CALLED THE EXERCISE A DANGEROUS PROVOCATION BY WASHINGTON AND SEOUL — AS 19 THOUSAND SOUTH KOREAN TROOPS JOIN THE MANEUVERS.

PAST NORTH KOREAN REACTIONS—LIKE MISSILE LAUNCHES DURING SIMILAR DRILLS—FUEL FEARS OF FRESH PROVOCATIONS. LAST YEAR— ON THE EVE OF THE FINAL DAY OF JOINT U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN EXERCISES — NORTH KOREA FIRED TWO BALLISTIC MISSILES — CALLING IT RETALIATION FOR ALLIED AIR FORCE DRILLS.

THE EXERCISES SPAN LAND, AIR, SEA AND CYBER — TARGETING THREATS LIKE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, CYBERATTACKS, AND GPS JAMMING. BOTH THE U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA EMPHASIZE THESE ARE DEFENSIVE DRILLS — CRUCIAL FOR CONFRONTING AN INCREASINGLY UNPREDICTABLE ADVERSARY.

THE DRILLS COME AS THE U.S. MILITARY RAMPS UP ITS STRATEGIC PRESENCE IN THE REGION — DEPLOYING BOMBERS AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN A SHOW OF FORCE. BUT NORTH KOREA REMAINS RESOLUTE IN ITS DEFIANCE — PUSHING ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS FORWARD WHILE ALSO ENGAGING IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE — LIKE SENDING THREATENING MESSAGES—AND EVEN FECES-FILLED BALLOONS—ACROSS THE BORDER.

THIS YEAR’S ULCHI FREEDOM SHIELD DRILL COINCIDES WITH THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAMP DAVID SUMMIT — WHERE THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN COMMITTED TO STRENGTHENING REGIONAL SECURITY TO ADDRESS THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA.

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