FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo/File Photo
North Korea has strongly criticized the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, warning that the drills could escalate tensions and potentially lead to an armed confrontation.
The annual Freedom Shield exercises, which commenced on Monday and will run until March 20, aim to bolster the allied forces’ readiness against potential threats from North Korea. However, Pyongyang has long denounced these drills as a rehearsal for invasion.
In a statement, North Korea’s foreign ministry described the exercises as a “dangerous provocative act” that could push the Korean Peninsula into conflict. “This could spark a physical confrontation between the two sides with a single accidental shot, taking the situation to an extreme point,” the statement read.
Tensions have been further heightened by a recent training mishap in which two South Korean fighter jets mistakenly dropped bombs on a civilian village near the North Korean border, injuring at least 29 people. The incident, which occurred last week, prompted South Korea’s Air Force Chief, Lee Young-su, to issue a formal apology.
“It was an accident that should never have happened, and it must never happen again,” Lee told reporters on Monday.
According to reports, the error occurred when a pilot, under time pressure, failed to verify target coordinates, leading another pilot to follow suit and release bombs on the incorrect location. The South Korean defense ministry has yet to comment on the incident.
While live-fire exercises remain suspended following the mishap, the Freedom Shield drills continue, with South Korea asserting that they are essential to maintaining regional security.
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