[Anchor]Ahead of the upcoming joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States next week, North Korea's defense minister, equivalent to our Minister of National Defense, issued a statement of condemnation.
He threatened to exercise the right to self-defense against excessive provocations, while responding positively to our government's conciliatory measures but continuing a tough stance on military training.
Kim Gi-hwa reports.
[Report]
A statement by North Korea's Defense Minister, No Kwang-chol, published in the Rodong Sinmun.
He defined the 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' exercise as a 'provocative act' and claimed that safeguarding North Korea's safety from the threats posed by South Korea and the U.S. is the military's absolute mission.
[Korean Central TV: "We strongly condemn the provocative actions of the U.S. and South Korea and warn of the serious negative consequences that may arise."]
In particular, he threatened that they would strictly exercise their right to self-defense against provocations that cross the NLL.
North Korea has issued statements of opposition almost every year ahead of the joint military exercises with the U.S., and while the expressions this year are less harsh than in previous years, the involvement of the defense minister has added more weight to the statement.
[Koo Byoung-sam/Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification: “Compared to the past, the level was raised in terms of the official making the statement. However, the tone was relatively restrained, focusing more on expressing their position rather than issuing direct military threats.”]
This year's joint military exercise has had about half of its outdoor maneuver training postponed to September, and there are analyses suggesting that they are adjusting their response level while monitoring the government's actions.
[Kim Il-ki/Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy: “If we take certain preemptive measures, North Korea responds accordingly… I don’t think North Korea wants inter-Korean relations to deteriorate further from the current level.”]
Additionally, it is notable that North Korea issued a statement of condemnation just two days after dismantling its loudspeakers directed at the South, which can be interpreted as an intention to adopt a dual strategy of responding to tension-reducing measures while maintaining a tough stance on military training.
KBS News, Kim Gi-hwa.
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