A U.S. Navy sailor fires a shot line during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, July 8, 2026. (Alexander Bussman/U.S. Navy)
North Korea has denounced the ongoing Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii, warning the U.S.-led multinational military drills will prompt a series of “proportional countermeasures,” according to state-run media
A commentary published Friday by the Korean Central News Agency accused the United States and its allies of expanding military cooperation and turning the Pacific “into a battlefield permeated with the smell of gunpowder.”
KCNA — the official voice of North Korea and the ruling Workers’ Party — did not specify what countermeasures Pyongyang might take, but past actions include ballistic missile and weapons tests
The commentary singled out the participation of the nuclear-powered USS Theodore Rooseveltaircraft carrier in the exercise, accusing Washington of escalating military tensions and preparing for war
Rim of the Pacific — commonly called RIMPAC — is a “war rehearsal” that is “raising violent waves of aggravated tension in the Pacific,” KCNA said. Pyongyang cannot remain a “passive onlooker” as Washington and its allies fuel regional instability, according to the commentary
KCNA warned that “an undesirable contingency may occur soon on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the region.”
RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime exercise
Held every two years and hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, this summer’s exercise began June 24 and runs through July 31. It includes forces from 30 nations with more than 30 ships, over 206 aircraft and roughly 30,000 personnel, according to the command’s June 25 press release
U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt heave around the phone-and-distance line during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, July 8, 2026. (Aaron Haro Gonzalez/U.S. Navy)
South Korea is serving as the combined maritime component commander for this year’s exercise, the first Asian nation to hold the role, according to the South Korean navy’s June 1 press release
Friday’s commentary criticized Seoul’s role as the component commander, accusing it of acting as Washington’s “puppet” and of intensifying its confrontational stance toward Pyongyang
In March 2025, North Korealaunched several ballistic missiles off its western coast at the start of Freedom Shield, an annual large-scale military exercise by the United States and South Korea
It also firedthree short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast days after U.S. and South Korean troops concluded Freedom Shield in March 2024
PACOM did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment outside business hours on Monday
Julie Masson
Julie Masson
Julie Masson is a reporter based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She began her journalism career in 2011 and has covered a diverse range of beats, including business, finance, trade, automobiles, antitrust, culture and music. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international studies from Korea University and a master’s degree in Asian international affairs from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Yoojin Lee
Yoojin Lee
Yoojin Lee is a correspondent and translator based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She graduated from Korea University, where she majored in Global Sports Studies.
