'Most immediate threat': North Korea blasts US-South Korea drills despite Trump's surprise cut
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Most immediate threat': North Korea blasts US-South Korea drills despite Trump's surprise cut")
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) and US President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. Photograph: (AFP)
Trump has scaled back the annual US-South Korea military drills, but North Korea is not backing down. Pyongyang has called the exercises an immediate threat to its security while making no mention of the US president's surprise decision.
North Korea on Wednesday (Aug 19) denounced joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as a direct threat to its security. Notably, Pyongyang's state media made no mention of US President Donald Trump's surprise decision to scale back the drills.
A commentary published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency described the exercises as "the most immediate and open threat" to North Korea and regional security. The commentary, titled "We Will Exercise Our Right to Self-defence for Neutralizing Military Threat from Hostile Forces through More Transparent Action," repeated Pyongyang's long-standing accusation that the drills are rehearsals for an invasion.
Pyongyang ignores Trump's decision
The North Korean statement came after Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to reduce the scale of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just one day before they were scheduled to begin.
Trump described the exercises as "inappropriate and hostile" and has also spoken positively about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He criticised South Korea for not backing his administration's war against Iran.
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Despite the change ordered by Trump, KCNA did not acknowledge the decision in its latest commentary. It also made no reference to Trump's stated interest in restarting talks with Kim.
Trump said Monday that Kim had responded to his recent overtures, although he did not disclose details about the communication.
Also read | 'Inane’: Senator Jack Reed slams Trump’s decision to downsize US-South Korea military drills
US troops remain in South Korea
The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea, part of the longstanding US military presence established after the 1950-53 Korean War. The war ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula technically in a state of conflict.
North Korea has consistently opposed US-South Korean military exercises, arguing that they threaten its security. Washington and Seoul, however, have maintained that the drills are defensive and designed to prepare their forces for a potential conflict.
