North Korea media slams joint US-South drills as 'open threat'

North Korea has long voiced outrage at the drills, considering them dress rehearsals for an invasion.

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

SEOUL: North Korean state media on Wednesday (Aug 19) slammed joint military drills by the United States and South Korea as a "most immediate and open threat", while not mentioning US President Donald Trump's order to curtail the exercises.

Trump on Sunday stunned allies in the region by ordering the Pentagon to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just a day before they were to get underway.

He called the drills "inappropriate and hostile", while praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and criticising Seoul for not supporting his war against Iran.

The nuclear-armed North has long voiced outrage at the drills, considering them dress rehearsals for an invasion.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

A commentary by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) repeated that position, saying the "drill poses the most immediate and open threat" to North Korea and "regional security".

The commentary was titled: "We Will Exercise Our Right to Self-defence for Neutralising Military Threat from Hostile Forces through More Transparent Action."

It did not mention Trump's order at all, nor the US president's stated desire to resume talks with Kim.

Trump on Monday said Kim had responded to his overtures, but did not provide details.

The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country's defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Newsletter

Week in Review

Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review

Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here