The ministry’s statement came as the US and South Korea conduct aerial exercises involving more than 200 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets, as they bolster their defense posture against North Korea’s increased weapons tests and growing nuclear threat. . North Korea has increased its weapons displays at a record pace this year, launching more than 40 ballistic missiles, including developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles and an intermediate-range missile fired over Japan. The North has tagged these tests with a nuclear escalation doctrine that allows for pre-emptive nuclear strikes in loosely defined crisis situations. The US and South Korea resumed large-scale military exercises this year after reducing or suspending them in previous years as part of efforts to build diplomatic space with Pyongyang and because of the pandemic. The U.S.-South Korean air force “Vigilant Storm” drills, which are set to continue through Friday, came after South Korea concluded its annual 12-day “Hoguk” field exercise, which officials say included also an unspecified number of US troops. North Korea’s latest statement came just days after the country fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, extending a barrage of launches since late September. Some of these launches have been described by the North as simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean and US targets. North Korea has said its tests are meant to warn amid joint military exercises. But some experts say Pyongyang also used the drills as an opportunity to test new weapons systems, boost its nuclear capability and increase its leverage in future dealings with Washington and Seoul. The story continues In comments attributed to an unidentified spokesman, North Korea’s foreign ministry statement said the military drills exposed the United States as “the main culprit in destroying peace and security.” He said the North is ready to take “all necessary measures” to defend itself against external military threats. “If the US continues to persist in serious military provocations, the DPRK will consider stronger follow-up measures,” the spokesman said, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The statement did not specify what those measures might be. South Korean officials said North Korea could up the ante in the coming weeks by detonating its first nuclear test device since September 2017, which could potentially move the country a step closer to its goals of building a full nuclear arsenal. capable of threatening US regional allies and the US mainland. In recent weeks, North Korea has also fired hundreds of shells into inter-Korean maritime buffer zones established by the two Koreas in 2018 to reduce frontline military tensions. North Korea said the shootings were in response to South Korea’s live-fire drills in land border areas. The rival Koreas exchanged warning shots on Oct. 24 along their disputed western maritime border, the scene of bloodshed and naval battles in the past, as they accused each other of border violations.
