In a rare public statement on Saturday, senior officials of the DPRK sharply criticized the upcoming joint military drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Seoul will launch two exercises on Monday: Freedom Edge, a trilateral outdoor, multi-domain operation with the US and Japan, and Iron Mace, a tabletop drill simulating a nuclear-attack response with the United States. These drills test coordination across land, sea, air and cyber domains, and rehearse high-stakes decision-making under nuclear threat scenarios.
Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, denounced the "Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula" crafted by the US and South Korea as a "dangerous idea." She warned the drills are an "unfiltered demonstration" of an anti-DPRK stance and a continuation of confrontational policy.
Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, labeled Iron Mace a "nuclear war rehearsal aimed at using nuclear weapons against the DPRK from A to Z," and called Freedom Edge the most comprehensive and offensive war drill in scale, content and nature. He cautioned these moves pose a major threat to the DPRK's security interests, risk regional stability and could escalate military tensions.
Both officials vowed that if the trilateral forces persist in their show of strength, the DPRK will respond with "counteraction in a very clear and intensified way." As tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula, analysts say these drills may prompt further strategic calculations from all parties and reshape Northeast Asia's security landscape.
Reference(s):
DPRK condemns joint U.S., South Korea, Japan military drills
cgtn.com
