North Korea threatens “more forceful follow-up measures” in retaliation to US South Korea military drills

North Korea has slammed the United States for intensifying joint military drills with South Korea, as North Korea perceives it as a rehearsal for an invasion. Pyongyang has threatened “more forceful follow-up measures” in retaliation to this drill.

The ministry’s statement coincided with the US and South Korea conducting aerial manoeuvres with more than 200 warplanes, including their cutting-edge F35 fighter jets, as they stepped up their defensive posture in response to North Korea’s escalating weapons tests and growing nuclear threat.

This year, North Korea increased the scale of its weaponry displays to a new level, firing more than 40 ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles under development and an intermediate-range missile launched over Japan.

As both allies were wrapping up the military exercises, North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the South Korean coast.

These tests have been accompanied by the North’s escalating nuclear doctrine, which authorizes pre-emptive nuclear strikes in poorly defined crisis situations.

Large-scale military exercises between the US and South Korea have resumed this year after being scaled back or put on hold in previous years due to the epidemic and efforts to open up diplomatic channels with Pyongyang.

After South Korea finished its annual 12-day “Hoguk” field exercises, which according to officials also included an unknown number of American troops, the United States and South Korea began their joint air force exercises, “Vigilant Storm,” which are scheduled to go until Friday.

The most recent statement from North Korea comes only days after the nation extended a string of tests that began in late September by launching two short-range ballistic missiles into the ocean. The North has claimed several of those launches as practise nuclear assaults on US and South Korean targets.