North Korea issued yet another warning to the U.S. on Tuesday, saying that any move to shoot down one of its test missiles will be viewed as a declaration of war. The reclusive regime also blamed joint exercises with the U.S. and South Korea for escalating tensions.
Kim Yo Jong, leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, cautioned that aggressive acts against the strategic missile tests will be a “declaration of war.”
She insinuated that there are further tests to be conducted into the Pacific Ocean, declaring that the ocean “does not belong to the dominium of the U.S. or Japan.”
The U.S. has not shot down any of North Korea’s numerous ballistic missiles, which are forbidden by the U.N. Security Council. Pyongyang has threatened to make the Pacific Ocean into a “firing range” as it works to advance its offensive technology.
#NorthKorea warned the US and #SouthKorea that any attempt to intercept its “tests of strategic weapon” would be considered a “declaration of war” against the reclusive nation. https://t.co/jMyew1TVh7
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) March 7, 2023
North Korea’s chief of the Foreign News Section for the Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. for “aggravating” the tense situation with Monday’s joint air drill involving a B-52 bomber. The upcoming U.S.-South Korea military exercises were also blamed.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry disagreed, calling out the North’s “reckless nuclear and missile development” for escalating tensions.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. deployed a B-52 bomber in a joint exercise with South Korean fighter jets. The Foreign Ministry declared it was a show of force to counteract the North’s missile tests and nuclear ambitions.
In the coming week the two nations will begin 10 days of joint drills known as “Freedom Shield.” As the countries prepared, more exercises were performed Tuesday when U.S. and South Korean warplanes practiced quick responses to North Korean threats.
Pyongyang accused Seoul of firing 30 rounds of artillery near the demilitarized zone on Tuesday and demanded that “provocative” actions cease. South Korea denied the claim.
The neighboring countries are technically still at war since the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. The U.S. currently maintains about 28,500 troops in the region, and South Korea remains one of its closest
