SEOUL
\nNorth Korea\u2019s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an \u201cextreme red-line\u201d and threaten to turn the peninsula into a \u201chuge war arsenal and a more critical war zone.\u201d
\nThe statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.
\n\u201cThe military and political situation on the Korean peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red-line due to the reckless military confrontational maneuvers and hostile acts of the US and its vassal forces,\u201d an unnamed ministry spokesperson said in the statement.
\nIn Washington, the White House rejected the North Korean statement and reiterated a willingness to meet with North Korean diplomats \u201cat a time and place convenient for them.\u201d
\n\u201cWe have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region,\u201d said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
\nThe North Korean statement cited a visit to Seoul this week by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. On Tuesday Austin and his South Korean counterpart vowed to expand military drills and deploy more \u201cstrategic assets,\u201d such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers, to counter North Korea\u2019s weapons development and prevent a war.
\n\u201cThis is a vivid expression of the US dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone,\u201d the North Korean statement said.
\nNorth Korea will respond to any military moves by the United States, and has strong counteraction strategies, including \u201cthe most overwhelming nuclear force\u201d if necessary, the statement added.
\nMore than 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
\n\u201cWe reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. These are routine exercises fully consistent with past practice,\u201d the White House statement said.
\nLast year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions. It was also observed reopening its shuttered nuclear weapons test site, raising expectations of a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.
\nIn New York, South Korea\u2019s foreign minister, Park Jin, met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday and called for the UN\u2019s continued attention to North Korea\u2019s recent provocations and efforts to implement sanctions on the reclusive regime.
\nGuterres said any resumption of nuclear testing by North Korea would deal a devastating blow to regional and international security, and reaffirmed support to build lasting peace on the Korean peninsula, according to Park\u2019s office.
\nPark is on a four-day trip to the United States, which will include a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Friday.
\nOn Wednesday the United States and South Korea carried out a joint air drill with American B-1B heavy bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, as well as F-35 jets from both countries, according to South Korea\u2019s Defense Ministry.
\n\u201cThe combined air drills this time show the US\u2019 will and capabilities to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against North Korea\u2019s nuclear and missile threats,\u201d the Defense Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL North Korea\u2019s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an \u201cextreme red-line\u201d and threaten to turn the peninsula into a \u201chuge war arsenal and a more critical war zone.\u201d The statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-311428","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n