US and South Korea Hold Military Exercises, North Korea: Reckless Military Confrontational Maneuvers

JAKARTA - North Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday military exercises by the United States and its allies had pushed the situation to an "extreme red line" and threatened to turn the peninsula into a critical war zone and major arms competition.

A statement carried by state news agency KCNA said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue, as long as Washington pursued a hostile policy.

"The military and political situation on the Korean peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red line because of the reckless military confrontational maneuvers and the hostile actions of the US and its subordinate forces," a ministry spokeswoman said in an unnamed statement, citing Reuters, February 2.

The statement cited a visit to Seoul this week by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. On Tuesday, Minister Austin and his South Korean counterpart pledged to expand military exercises and deploy more "strategic assets", such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers, to counter North Korea's weapons development and prevent war.

"This is a clear expression of the dangerous US scenario that will turn the Korean peninsula into a major war warehouse and a more critical war zone," the North Korean statement said.

North Korea will respond to any military moves by the United States, and has a strong deterrence strategy, including "the most powerful nuclear force" if necessary, the statement added.

On Wednesday, the United States and South Korea conducted joint air drills with American B-1B heavy bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, as well as F-35 jets from both countries, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.

"The joint aerial exercises this time demonstrate the US will provide a robust and credible deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It is known that more than 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Last year, North Korea conducted a number of ballistic missile tests, which are prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions. North Korea also reopened a closed nuclear weapons test site, raising suspicions of a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.

In New York, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, meeting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, called on the United Nations to keep a close eye on North Korea's recent provocations and attempts to impose sanctions against them.

The UN secretary general said North Korea's further nuclear test would deal a serious blow to regional and international security, reaffirming support for building lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Minister Park's office.

Secretary of State Park is on a four-day trip to the United States, which will include a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Friday.