3 days ago
North Korea blasts Japan-US-South Korea joint aerial exercise
North Korea's defense ministry has lashed out at a recent joint aerial exercise staged by Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The chief of the ministry's Policy Office issued a press statement through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, on Sunday.
The statement expresses "serious concern" over what it calls the three countries' "hostile acts of persistently conducting provocative and threatening military actions."
It also "strongly" warns of what it describes as "grave consequences to be entailed by them on the regional situation."
The statement underscores that North Korea "will never tolerate any slightest act which exerts a negative influence on the security environment of the state." It also showed the country's readiness to take what it terms a "practical military counteraction."
The trilateral exercise took place on Friday off the coast of a southern part of South Korea to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. It involved at least one US B-52 strategic bomber.
The top uniformed defense officials of Japan, the US and South Korea also met in Seoul the same day. They reaffirmed cooperation to address challenges posed by North Korea.
