North Korea: US, Seoul made ‘dangerous, wrong choice’ in extending joint drills
North Korea has denounced a move by the United States and South Korea to extend current aerial drills, labeling the decision a “wrong choice.”
Pak Jong-chon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement extending the drills “is a very dangerous and wrong choice.”
“The irresponsible decision of the US and South Korea is shoving the present situation caused by provocative military acts of the allied forces to an uncontrollable phase.”
South Korea's air force earlier announced plans to extend the five-day maneuvers, which kicked off on October 31.
The South Korean military has said North Korea fired an “unspecified ballistic missile,” which followed multiple other launches, including of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
In recent days, North Korea and South Korea have exchanged missile fires that landed off the coasts of the two neighbors for the first time amid the massive joint war games by the US and South Korea.
The missile exchanges came just hours after Pyongyang demanded a halt to large-scale joint military exercises by US and South Korean forces, insisting that such “military rashness and provocation can be no longer tolerated.”
The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills earlier this week. Dubbed ‘Vigilant Storm,’ the exercises involve hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours a day. The maneuvers began days after the allied forces concluded yet another major military exercise – ‘Hoguk’ – which included 22 field exercises, featuring mock amphibious landings and river crossings.
North Korea said the recent flurry of missile and artillery fires were in response to the joint drills, which Pyongyang regards as rehearsals for invading the country.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has tested a record number of missiles this year, and officials in Seoul and Washington say the North has completed technical preparations to conduct a nuclear weapon test for the first time since 2017.
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