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North Korea’s foreign ministry criticizes U.S. As it expanded joint military exercises with South Korea, it called it a potential incursion and warned on Tuesday that it would respond with “stronger follow-up measures”.
The ministry’s statement came as the United States and South Korea conducted aerial exercises involving more than 200 fighter jets, including their advanced F35 fighter jets, Faced with increased North Korea weapons tests, they step up their defensive stance and the growing nuclear threat.
North Korea has expanded its weapons display to a record level this year, firing more than 40 ballistic missiles, including a developing intercontinental ballistic missile and an intermediate-range missile launched over Japan. North Korea interrupts these tests with escalating nuclear doctrine This authorizes a pre-emptive nuclear attack in a loosely defined crisis situation.
The United States and South Korea have resumed large-scale military exercises this year after scaling back or suspending drills in the past few years as part of efforts to create diplomatic space with Pyongyang and because of the pandemic.
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The U.S.-South Korean Air Force Exercise “Vigilance Storm” will continue through Friday after South Korea completed its annual 12-day field exercise “Hoguk” that officials said also involved an unspecified number of U.S. troops.
North Korea’s latest statement came days after the country fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, continuing a spate of launches that have been going on since late September. Some of the launches were described by North Korea as mock nuclear attacks on South Korean and U.S. targets.
North Korea has said its testing campaign was a warning during joint military exercises. But some experts say Pyongyang also used the exercise as an opportunity to test new weapons systemsimprove its nuclear capabilities and increase its influence in future dealings with Washington and Seoul.
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North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the military exercise exposed the United States as “the main culprit in undermining peace and security.” It said North Korea was ready to take “all necessary measures” to defend against external military threats.
“North Korea will consider stronger follow-up measures if the United States continues serious military provocations,” the spokesman said, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The statement did not specify what those measures might be.
North Korea may up the ante in the coming weeks by detonating its first nuclear test device since September 2017, South Korean officials said, potentially bringing the country closer to its goal of building a full-fledged nuclear arsenal capable of threatening the U.S. region. Allies and Continental United States.
In recent weeks, North Korea has also fired hundreds of artillery shells in the inter-Korean maritime buffer zone established by the two countries in 2018 to ease military tensions on the front lines. North Korea has said the firing was in response to South Korea’s live-fire drills along the land border. On Monday, hostile North Korea exchanged warnings over their disputed western maritime border, a scene of past bloodshed and naval battles as they accuse each other of violating the border.
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