North Korea calls South Korea, US and Japan ‘Asian version of Nato’

SEOUL – North Korea criticised a joint military exercise by South Korea, Japan and the United States held in June, state media said on June 30, saying such drills show the three countries’ relationship has developed into “the Asian version of Nato”.

On June 27, the three countries began

large-scale joint military drills

called “Freedom Edge” involving navy destroyers, fighter jets and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, aimed at boosting defences against missiles, submarines and air attacks.

The exercise was devised at the three-way summit at Camp David in 2023 to strengthen military cooperation amid tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from North Korea’s weapons testing.

Pyongyang will not ignore the strengthening of a military bloc led by the US and its allies and will protect regional peace with an aggressive and overwhelming response, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to KCNA news agency.

The ministry also said Washington was continuing its effort to link up South Korea and Japan to Nato, adding that Seoul’s attempts to supply weapons to Ukraine is one example of that.

Seoul’s Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Freedom Edge exercise was in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme, while dismissing Pyongyang’s criticism.

South Korea said it would review the possibility of supplying arms directly to Ukraine, in protest against a

recent mutual defence pact

signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

South Korea and the US have accused the North of supplying weapons to Russia that are being used in the Ukraine war. Both Russia and North Korea deny any such transactions.

North Korea’s ruling party held a meeting on June 28 and 29 presided over by Mr Kim, who on the second day addressed “deviations” hampering economic development and laid out the focus for the second half of 2024, state media said.

North Korea has long condemned joint military drills between the US and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.

In 2023, South Korea, Japan and the US staged joint naval missile defence and anti-submarine exercises to improve responses to North Korean threats. REUTERS