North Korea has criticized a joint military exercise by South Korea, Japan and the United States held this month, state media reported on Sunday (30), saying such exercises showed that the relationship between the three countries had developed into the “Asian version of NATO”.
On Thursday (27), the three countries began large-scale joint military exercises called “Freedom Edge”, involving navy ships, fighter jets and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the aim of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines and air attacks.
The exercise was conceived at last year’s Camp David summit to bolster military cooperation amid tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from North Korea’s weapons tests.
Pyongyang will not ignore the strengthening of a military bloc led by the US and its allies and will protect regional peace with an aggressive and overwhelming response, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to KCNA news agency.
The ministry also said Washington is continuing its effort to link South Korea and Japan to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), adding that South Korea’s attempts to supply weapons to Ukraine are an example of that effort.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the “Freedom Edge” exercise was a response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile program, while rejecting Pyongyang’s criticism.
South Korea said it would review the possibility of directly supplying weapons to Ukraine in protest at a recent mutual defense pact signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
South Korea and the United States have accused the North of supplying Russia with weapons that are being used in the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea deny such transactions.
North Korea’s ruling party held a meeting on Friday and Saturday chaired by Kim, who on the second day addressed “deviations” hampering economic development and set the focus for the second half of the year, state media reported.
North Korea has long condemned the joint exercises between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for an invasion and proof of the hostile policies of Washington and Seoul.
Last year, the US, South Korea and Japan held joint naval missile defense and anti-submarine exercises to improve responses to North Korean threats.
Source: CNN Brasil
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