New North Korean Defense Minister Warns US Against Military Exercises | Today’s news
North Korea’s newly appointed defense minister criticized ongoing US exercises with South Korea and Japan and vowed to punish what he described as hostile forces threatening the country’s national security.
“If the US and its allies try to provoke a new military confrontation with the DPRK, the DPRK will take strong and reflexive countermeasures from the point of view of power,” Kim Song Gi said in a late-night statement published by the official Korean Central News Agency on Monday. It used North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The US, South Korea and Japan began a five-day joint Freedom Edge exercise in international waters off the South Korean resort of Jeju on Monday, aimed at strengthening their deterrence against North Korean threats.
North Korea’s defense minister also criticized US exercises with Japan and Australia, as well as the announced move to bring the US Multi-Domain Mobile Task Force to South Korea, calling them “US-led demonstrations of war”.
“If necessary, we will express our will and ability to respond to the enemy’s actions with stronger and more decisive actions,” the minister said.
Kim Song Gi, formerly director of the North Korean military’s political bureau, was named the country’s new defense minister in late August. North Korean state media said the reorganization was aimed at better implementing the ruling party’s military policy.
The statement comes days after North Korea commissioned its second destroyer in less than three months as Kim Jong Un pushes to upgrade the country’s naval capabilities with nuclear weapons, even as President Donald Trump continues to tout his “very good relationship” with Kim.
Trump last month unilaterally scaled back joint military exercises with South Korea scheduled for August, citing his relationship with the North Korean leader.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
