North Korea Protests South Korea-U.S. UFS Exercise, Warns of "New Level of Deterrence" Against New Threats

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Statement Published in Rodong Sinmun

Ahead of the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise "Ulchi Freedom Shield" (UFS), North Korea has pushed back by calling it a "rehearsal for invasion war" and referring to its own "deterrent capability."

In a statement published in Rodong Sinmun on the 14th, a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry asserted that applying a "new level of deterrence to a new level of threat" is the country's consistent principle of security assurance, regarding the UFS scheduled to begin on the 17th. The ministry added, "The provocative nature and heightened risks of this year's invasion war exercise by hostile countries poses a grave threat to the security territory of our nation and the security environment of the region, which has escalated differently than last year."

North Korea noted that the exercise will involve South Korean and U.S. military forces, United Nations Command member state troops, outdoor maneuver drills, and simulated operations in advanced combat environments such as unmanned, electronic, and cyber warfare. North Korea went on to state, "This grave confrontation of power created by hostile countries will not be tolerated in the slightest," adding, "The unwavering will of our nation is to absolutely safeguard our state's utmost interests in national security by frustrating all external hostile acts with the most powerful and overwhelming countermeasures."

North Korea did not specify its method or timing of response. However, as it has highlighted both a "new level of deterrence" and "powerful and overwhelming countermeasures" ahead of the start of UFS, attention is focused on whether North Korea will engage in additional military actions such as missile launches during the exercise period. Regarding this, an official from the Ministry of Unification remarked, "We need to closely monitor North Korea's military activities and other movements in cooperation with relevant agencies during the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises," and added, "We will continue to keep an eye on future developments."

The South Korean and U.S. military authorities will conduct the second-half UFS joint exercise from the 17th to the 27th. North Korea, ahead of UFS, conducted shows of force by launching ballistic missiles on both the 6th and 12th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.