The North Korean regime released a statement this Thursday morning (2), still Wednesday night (1st) in Brazil, in which it informs, in a threatening tone, that the military exercises carried out by the United States and allies in the surroundings of the Korean peninsula reached the “end of the red line”.
The note was released hours after joint training was held between American and South Korean forces with B-1B heavy bombers, F-22 stealth fighters and F-35 jets. The action was released by the Ministry of Defense of South Korea.
The exercises displeased Pyongyang. In the statement, the dictatorship says that the maneuvers threaten to turn the region into a “critical war zone”. The text also informs that the North Korean regime will not dialogue as long as Washington continues with what it called a hostile policy.
“The military and political situation on the Korean peninsula has reached an extreme red line due to reckless maneuvers and hostile acts carried out by the US and its vassal forces,” said the statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry, carried by state news agency KCNA.
The case comes at a time of great tension between the two Koreas, after several weapons tests carried out by Pyongyang last year, including the attempt to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, which even generated a shelter alert for inhabitants of the north of the country. Japan.
In the face of threats, Washington has intensified cooperation with allies in the region. On a visit to Seoul, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged this Tuesday (31) to expand military exercises and increase investment in strategic resources, including aircraft carriers and bombers, to, according to him, combat the development of weapons from North Korea and avoid a war.
More than 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War (1950-1953), which ended with an armistice and without a peace treaty.
The United States and South Korea have also been strengthening their security cooperation with Japan, which last month announced the biggest boost to its military budget since World War Two, with a $320 billion plan to buy missiles.
In the statement, North Korea emphasizes that it will respond to any US military move in the region. He also highlights that the regime has “strong counter-attack strategies”, including the use of “the most overwhelming nuclear force”, if necessary.
North Korea carried out more than 40 missile launches in 2022, amid a scenario in which atomic threats were renewed by Pyongyang in the most intense way since 2017. That year, a series of missile tests capable of reaching the US and the explosion of a hydrogen bomb led the government of then President Donald Trump to negotiate directly with the North Korean dictator.
Last October, the US responded to the firing of an intermediate-range missile over Japan by sending an aircraft carrier to the region and conducting bombing exercises with Japanese and South Koreans. Pyongyang retaliated with more ballistic missiles and fighter jet training.
“The combined air exercises this time show the US will and capability to provide extended, strong and reliable deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement after Wednesday’s drills.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
