North Korea says Seoul's plan to adjust South Korea-US military drills 'deceptive'

SEOUL — North Korea on Wednesday slammed the ongoing joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, calling Seoul's plan to postpone half of its field drills to next month "deceptive."

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism after Seoul and Washington kicked off the large-scale joint summertime exercise, the Ulchi Freedom Shield, on Monday for an 11-day run as planned.

Half of this year's roughly 40 field drills have been postponed to next month, apparently in Seoul's bid to improve frayed ties with Pyongyang, reports Yonhap, quoting KCNA.

"The enemies have babbled about postponing part of the outdoor field drills to next month, but all the basic drills outlined in the actual US-Republic of Korea exercise plan are proceeding as planned, with only messy drills of the South Korean military being postponed," the KCNA said.

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The news agency said this once again demonstrates South Korea and the US' talk of adjusting the exercise as an unprecedented measure was only a "deceptive tactic."

No matter what measures the enemies take, the unchanging true nature of the joint exercise as the world's longest-running and largest-scale drills in the Asia-Pacific will never be hidden, it said.

The KCNA also warned that North Korea's firm will and capability to safeguard its sovereignty and security will translate into action, and its countermeasure will be "active and overwhelming."

Earlier on August 19, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had denounced a joint military exercise underway between South Korea and the United States as showing their will to "ignite a war" and reaffirming the most "hostile" stance toward the North, Pyongyang's state media said.

Kim also called for a "rapid expansion" of the country's nuclear arms as he inspected an integrated operation test of weapons systems on the North's first 5,000-tonne destroyer, the Choe Hyon, the previous day, according to the KCNA.