Aug. 4 (UPI) — North Korea on Tuesday condemned a recently concluded U.S.-led multinational naval exercise as a “war rehearsal” and warned it would respond with a new level of deterrence
The remarks, attributed to an unnamed military commentator and carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, responded to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, held in Hawaii
RIMPAC ran from June 24 through July 31 and brought together more than 30,000 personnel from 30 countries, including South Korea and Japan. More than 30 surface ships, five submarines and about 200 aircraft took part in the 30th edition of the world’s largest international maritime exercise
The KCNA commentary highlighted the expanded command roles played by South Korea and Japan during this year’s RIMPAC, claiming Washington was seeking to “establish an absolute military hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“This goes to prove that RIMPAC, the largest-ever naval drill in the world, is, in fact, a war rehearsal of aggression led by the U.S., Japan and the ROK,” the commentary said, using the official acronym for South Korea
Pyongyang has long condemned joint military exercises involving the United States and South Korea and has increasingly criticized Japan’s military buildup and expanding regional security role
In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused Tokyo of transforming itself into a “war state” and warned that it was exacerbating tensions in Northeast Asia
Tuesday’s commentary also criticized broader military cooperation among the United States and its regional allies, including the Pentagon’s move to upgrade U.S. Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters with expanded operational responsibilities
It also took aim at recent U.S.-South Korea military activities, including last month’s Buddy Squadron air exercise and a large-scale combined logistics field training exercise
“The threat posed by the trinity of the U.S., Japan and the ROK is being settled as a new security crisis in the Asia-Pacific region,” the commentary said
“It is the DPRK’s invariable mode of controlling situation and crisis to response to a threat of new level with a deterrence of new level,” it added
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea
