By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-10 02:46:28 | Updated at 2025-03-10 07:31:04
5 hours ago
North Korea on Monday condemned joint US-South Korean military drills as a “provocative act”, warning of the danger of sparking war with “an accidental single shot”, days after Seoul’s air force mistakenly bombed a village on its own territory.
“This is a dangerous provocative act of leading the acute situation on the Korean peninsula, which may spark off a physical conflict between the two sides by means of an accidental single shot,” said Pyongyang’s foreign ministry, as quoted by state media.
The joint US-South Korea “Freedom Shield 2025” exercise was set to kick off on Monday, and will involve “live, virtual, and field-based training”, according to a US statement.
The exercise will run until March 21, the statement said.
Military cooperation between Seoul and Washington regularly invites condemnation from Pyongyang, where the government sees such moves as preparation for an invasion, and often carries out missile tests in response.
02:09
South Korean fighter jet accidentally drops bombs on village during military drill
South Korean fighter jet accidentally drops bombs on village during military drill
The latest exercise comes after two South Korean Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint training exercise with US forces on Thursday.
