North Korea: US-South Korea drills driving tensions to 'brink of nuclear war'

North Korea says joint military drills by the United States and South Korea are pushing tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the "brink of a nuclear war," vowing to respond with "offensive action."

Back in March, American and South Korean forces started a series of annual springtime military drills, including their first large-scale amphibious landing drills in five years. The joint air and sea exercises, among others, involve a US aircraft carrier and B-1B and B-52 bombers.

On Thursday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency published a commentary by Choe Ju-hyon, whom it identified as an international security analyst, describing the drills as "a trigger for driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the point of explosion."

"The reckless military confrontational hysteria of the US and its followers against the DPRK is driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an irreversible catastrophe... to the brink of a nuclear war," the commentary read, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

It also cautioned that "the drills have turned the Korean Peninsula into a huge powder magazine which can be detonated any moment," and that the international community at the present time "hopes that the dark clouds of a nuclear war hanging over the Korean Peninsula will be removed as early as possible."

The US deployed its nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday in a show of strength against Pyongyang on the pretext that Pyongyang might conduct a nuclear test. It was the first time US long-range bombers were sent to the peninsula in a month.

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The drills "show the strong resolve of the [South] Korea-US alliance and its perfect readiness to respond to any provocation by North Korea swiftly and overwhelmingly," said Lieutenant General Park Ha-sik, commander of the South Korean air force operation command, in a statement.

Seoul and Washington concluded their regular springtime exercises, called Freedom Shield 23, last month, but are now conducting amphibious landing drills.

Last month, the militaries of the US and South Korea conducted their biggest field exercises in five years as well as computer simulations for command post training.

Last week, the US also sent its nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier for naval training with South Korea.

On Monday, the navies of the US, South Korea, and Japan began their first anti-submarine drills in six months to allegedly strengthen their coordination against what they called increasing missile threats from North Korea.

North Korea: Expanding nuclear arsenal aimed at defending country, regional peace

North Korea

The developments come as Washington and Seoul have been expanding their combined military drills in response to what they call North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The US has a permanent military presence in South Korea, with about 28,500 troops in its bases across the country.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un recently called on his military to be ready for war.

North Korea, which declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power last year, is seeking to diversify delivery mechanisms for its nuclear weapons. Its military conducted a firing drill late last month, simulating a nuclear attack using tactical ballistic missiles.

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