North Korea media slams joint US-South drills as ‘open threat’
US Army soldiers work on a Stryker armoured vehicle at a US army base near the demilitarised zone separating two Koreas, in Dongducheon, South Korea, Aug 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
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SEOUL: North Korean state media on Wednesday (Aug 19) slammed joint military drills by the United States and South Korea as a “most immediate and open threat”, while not mentioning US President Donald Trump’s order to curtail the exercises.
Trump on Sunday stunned allies in the region by ordering the Pentagon to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just a day before they were to get underway.
He called the drills “inappropriate and hostile”, while praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and criticising Seoul for not supporting his war against Iran.
The nuclear-armed North has long voiced outrage at the drills, considering them dress rehearsals for an invasion.
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A commentary by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) repeated that position, saying the “drill poses the most immediate and open threat” to North Korea and “regional security”.
The commentary was titled: “We Will Exercise Our Right to Self-defence for Neutralising Military Threat from Hostile Forces through More Transparent Action.”
It did not mention Trump’s order at all, nor the US president’s stated desire to resume talks with Kim.
Trump on Monday said Kim had responded to his overtures, but did not provide details.
The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Source: AFP/ec
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