North Korea on Friday denounced the ongoing combined air drills between South Korea and the United States, vowing to "thoroughly" deter the allies' exercise with force, Pyongyang's state media reported
SEOUL — North Korea on Friday denounced the ongoing combined air drills between South Korea and the United States, vowing to "thoroughly" deter the allies' exercise with force, Pyongyang's state media reported.
A spokesperson at North Korea's defence ministry issued the statement as Seoul and Washington launched the biannual Freedom Flag exercise on Monday for a two-week run.
"The US and the ROK military warmongers launched the provocative large-scale joint air drill Freedom Flag against our state on October 26 by mobilising huge air forces," read the statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
North Korea said the drills involved the Army, Navy and Marines from allied forces and mobilised air refuelling tanker and attack drones, citing them as evidence for their "military purpose" contrary to the defensive character as proclaimed by the allies, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"Our armed forces will thoroughly deter threats with force and only act in such manner that the enemy states can understand," it said.
North Korea has long denounced Seoul and Washington's joint exercise as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North, though the allies say such drills are defensive in nature.
Freedom Flag is a biannual exercise designed to enhance the combined interoperability of the allied forces, strengthening response capabilities and contributing to regional stability.
Meanwhile, senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan held telephone consultations on Friday to share information and discuss responses to North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
On Thursday, North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The North's state media reported on Friday that it fired a 600-millimetre multiple rocket launcher, tactical cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles during the weapons demonstration the previous day.
Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at Seoul's foreign ministry, spoke with David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the US State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry, the ministry said.
"The three officials shared relevant information and discussed future responses," the ministry said in a press release.
"The foreign affairs authorities of the three countries operate a channel for promptly sharing information and assessments whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles," it added.
North Korea's latest missile launches came a week after Seoul proposed holding military talks with Pyongyang to resolve differences over the demarcation of their border, as tensions in the inter-Korean border region have risen since last month's land mine blast inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.