By Lee Min-hyung
North Korea has condemned South Korea for bringing in nuclear weapons from the United States for drills, calling the move a “rash menace” which poses little threat to the regime, according to Pyongyang’s propaganda broadcaster, Monday.
“Seoul should stop deploying nuclear weapons and conducting any joint military drills with the U.S. for a thaw in the inter-Korean relation,” the broadcaster said in a televised address.
The provocative rhetoric came in response to strong willingness from Seoul and Washington to push for the joint military exercise after the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Earlier this year, they agreed to delay the plan to late March, in their bid to host a peaceful sporting event by avoiding any possibly provocative gesture against Pyongyang.
Inter-Korean relations have begun to enter a new phase, with both sides showing signs of improving ties and easing tensions, but the ambition of the U.S. to stage a war against the North is escalating tensions over nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula, according to the address.
In a rare sign of a thaw in relations between the two Koreas, Seoul and Pyongyang have in recent weeks conducted a series of bilateral activities to engage more in the upcoming Olympics. They include exchanges of Olympics delegations and a decision to form a joint women’s ice hockey team.
Starting last week, however, Pyongyang has begun to step up its provocative rhetoric against Seoul and Washington, urging them to stop holding joint military drills for good.
To protest against the move, the regime also announced its plan to conduct an intimidating military parade on the eve of the Olympics which begins on Feb. 9. South Korea’s unification ministry also confirmed the upcoming show of force, saying the North will mobilize all the destructive weapons it possesses at the event.
Chances are the regime may boast its military prowess by displaying a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles during the military parade.
South Korea’s defense ministry did not confirm details over the move.
“We are open to all possibilities and will continue to keep a close watch on the upcoming show of force from the North,” an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday without elaborating further.
In a media briefing, the Ministry of National Defense did not mention a specific timeline for the resumption of the joint military drills between Seoul and Washington. Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said the ministry will make details public “in a timely manner,” declining to unveil details then.
The latest provocation from the North came a few days after Seoul and Washington reaffirmed their willingness to enhance military alliance during a ministerial-level meeting last week in Hawaii where Defense Minister Song Young-moo met with his U.S. counterpart Jim Mattis.
The defense ministry said both sides agreed to continue strengthening their joint military capabilities to defend North Korea’s continuous missile threats. To denuclearize Pyongyang, they also pledged to enhance their military readiness down the road, according to the ministry.