North Korea Bristles At US, South Korean & Japanese Nuclear War Games

South Korea is hosting major joint military exercises, which kicked off Monday and involves the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The drills are dubbed Freedom Edge - which is currently running near Jeju Island through Friday, and Iron Mace, described as being focused on preparing for nuclear conflict scenarios.

These have naturally evoked the wrath of North Korea, which has issued a sharp condemnation while warning of escalating tensions and vowing a strong response. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said this is focused on “countering North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and safeguarding peace and stability in the region.”

The US military’s Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii described the drills as being utilized to “refine ballistic missile defense” between the US and its two key Asian allies and represents “the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date.”

Pyongyang’s fierce denunciation of the games included the following: 

A statement from North Korea’s Central Military Commission called Freedom Edge “the most comprehensive and offensive war drill for aggression in terms of scale, content and nature” that has been conducted on the southern Korean Peninsula.

“The US and its allies are gradually undermining the security environment of the Korean Peninsula,” the statement from Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, said.

He further warned that North Korea would not remain passive in the face of such drills. “If the hostile forces continue their military provocations, the DPRK will respond with even clearer and more intensified countermeasures,” he stated.

Although the drills were scheduled long in advance, they follow closely on the heels of Xi’s giant military parade which also involved Presidents Putin and Kim Jong Un side by side with the Chinese leader in a rare display of unity.

It grabbed the world’s attention, highlighting China’s latest military capabilities, including advanced ballistic missiles and equipment of China’s nuclear triad.

Interestingly, perhaps wishing to countersignal, US military officials have described these fresh exercises in and off South Korea as the most advanced example of trilateral defense cooperation to date. It highlights the deepening military cooperation with South Korea and Japan.

As of this past summer, North Korea has been demanding that the United States recognize it as a permanent nuclear power.

“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state, which was established along with the existence of a powerful nuclear deterrent and fixed by the supreme law reflecting the unanimous will of all the DPRK people, will be thoroughly rejected,” Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,” she said in July.