North Korea opposes joint US, Japanese and South Korean military exercises; Warning of fatal consequences

Seoul. North Korea on Sunday denounced the joint military exercises of South Korea, Japan and the United States as an “Asian version of NATO” and warned of deadly consequences.

North Korea’s statement came a day after the three nations completed a three-day military exercise called ‘Freedom Edge’ on ballistic missile and air defense, anti-submarine warfare and defensive cyber training.

US, South Korean and Japanese leaders agreed at a trilateral summit last year to hold annual drills as a sign of unity in the face of North Korea’s nuclear threat and China’s growing regional influence.

“We strongly condemn the military exercises against North Korea,” Pyongyang’s foreign ministry said on Sunday. The US-Japan-South Korea relationship has taken the form of the Asian version of NATO. The result will be fatal,” Pyongyang said.

North Korea has said it will never ignore the moves of the US and its allies to strengthen the military group.

The latest joint exercise involved Washington’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Tokyo’s guided-missile destroyer JS Otago and Seoul’s KF-16 fighter jet.