N. Korea slams US-S. Korea's joint military drills ahead of 71st anniversary of armistice signing
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, third from left, then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, second from left, and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong, right, observe a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, July 27, 2023. Yonhap
North Korea said Monday the United States and South Korea have never stopped their joint military drills against the North since the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, claiming that they are crossing a red line of a new nuclear war.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, raised public awareness against the U.S. ahead of the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice on July 27, celebrated as Victory Day in North Korea.
"The enemies' madness of aggression and war has never been stopped," the newspaper reported, insisting that Seoul and Washington have staged war drills against the North without pause since the signing of the armistice.
"They are now crossing a red line of a new world nuclear warfare without hesitation," it said.
South Korea's unification ministry refuted the claims, saying that it is not surprising for North Korea to play the victim while it was the one that invaded with support from the Soviet Union and China.
"The past 70 years have seen South Korea achieve unparalleled freedom, democracy, and economic growth, which is impossible to compare with that of North Korea, and which the entire world witnesses," Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a regular press briefing.
North Korea has long denounced Seoul-Washington joint military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion, though the allies said such drills are defensive in nature.
Against this backdrop, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has strengthened the country's nuclear deterrence that can end this protracted war forever, the newspaper claimed.
The Korean War, which started with an invasion by the North, ended with the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. Since 1996, North Korea has celebrated the armistice signing date as Victory Day, claiming that it won the war against the U.S.
Last year, North Korea held a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary by inviting then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong.
With their presence at the parade, the North apparently aimed to show its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, which backed Pyongyang during the Cold War-era conflict, as Seoul, Washington and Tokyo were bolstering three-way security cooperation. (Yonhap)