On the 19th, North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, published a commentary stating that the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" ROK-US joint military exercises pose a direct threat to the security environment of North Korea and the region, once again bringing the already precarious situation on the Korean Peninsula to the "brink" of war.
The commentary pointed out that each ROK-US joint exercise is more dangerous than the last, with all elements—content, form, scale, and training methods—continuously being expanded. Their purpose, it says, is to enhance the real-world applicability of war exercises against the North and to gain advantage in the security dynamics of the Korean Peninsula and the broader region.
The commentary added that South Korea has not only become a training ground for the ROK-US military alliance, but is gradually turning into a staging area for multinational invasion forces and a rehearsal venue for modern warfare.
The commentary asserted that in response to increasingly destructive hostile acts, North Korea needs to respond with the further upgraded might of new forces. It warned that enemies who infringe upon and threaten the sovereignty and security of North Korea will constantly be held within the range of retaliatory targets.
The ROK-US militaries had initially planned to hold the large-scale "Ulchi Freedom Shield" joint exercises from the 17th to the 27th, but the exercises will now end six days early, on the 21st.