The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday denounced major US-South Korean military drills and said they were more provocative than last year's, according to state media.

It said US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and the country will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent, state media KCNA said, citing a spokesperson for the DPRK's Foreign Ministry.

South Korea and the United States will conduct the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint military drills from August 17 to 27, incorporating exercises to counter drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks as they adapt to the DPRK's evolving capabilities.

Pyongyang routinely denounces the military exercises as a provocation that heightens tensions.

The DPRK also said on Friday it would further strengthen its nuclear deterrence, accusing the United States of pursuing a new nuclear strategy that lowers the threshold for using weapons and could push global security "to the brink of a nuclear war."

In a commentary, state media KCNA cited US nuclear cooperation with South Korea and extended-deterrence commitments to Japan, saying the Korean Peninsula could become a priority target of the alleged strategy. (Reuters)



Edited by Cecil Wong