Seoul, Aug 14
North Korea on Thursday denounced the United States for its recent back-to-back military exercises in the West Pacific, conducted jointly with other countries, including Australia and Japan, calling them "highly provocative."
"If the US and its followers obsessively pursue military actions that undermine peace and security in the Asia Pacific region, they will inevitably provoke protest and retaliation from countries in the region," reports.
The KCNA took issue with two recent US-led multinational military exercises: Talisman Sabre, conducted last month in northeastern Australia with 18 other nations, and a military exercise in the Philippine Sea of the Western Pacific from August 4-12, involving Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and Spain.
"Needless to say, they were highly sensational and provocative both in content and in elements," the KCNA noted.
The news agency said the Korean Peninsula will also face another "manic" exercise, referring to the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield joint drills between Seoul and Washington, scheduled for August 18-28.
"It is too obvious that joint military exercises by the US and its followers will have very negative consequences for the security situation of countries in the region," the KCNA said, warning that the countries' willingness to respond physically should not be overlooked.