North Korea Threatens "Proportional Countermeasures" Against RIMPAC, Criticizes South Korea as "Puppet Warmongers"

North Korea has threatened the multinational maritime exercise "2026 Rim of the Pacific" (RIMPAC), stating, "The reckless provocations of international ruffians will inevitably lead to a series of proportional countermeasures by regional countries to resolutely deter and manage them."

In a commentary titled "RIMPAC, a War Rehearsal Bringing Waves of Tension to the Pacific," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated, "The strengthening of war deterrence by relevant countries to safeguard their sovereignty, security interests, and regional peace and stability is an independent right that no one can block."

The agency harshly criticized the participating countries, including South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, stating, "The masters, who are the most tyrannical and unscrupulous thugs in the world, along with their regional henchmen and uninvited guests from across the ocean, are gathering to stage large-scale war games at our doorstep, and the masters of this region can never remain mere onlookers."

The report noted that 30 countries are participating in this year's exercise, marking the largest scale in history, and condemned the fact that "the South Korean puppets are participating as a main force."

The South Korean Navy, which has participated in RIMPAC since 1990, took on the role of Combined Maritime Component Commander for the first time this year, overseeing the actual operations of multinational naval forces.

This marks the first time in approximately one year and three months—since the incident involving a South Korean Air Force fighter jet's machine gun and fuel tank separation in April of last year—that North Korean media has used expressions such as "puppet South Korea" or "South Korean puppets" toward the current administration.

Targeting the recent strengthening of military cooperation between South Korea and Japan, the KCNA criticized the RIMPAC exercise as a "war game taking place at a time when military collusion between the South Korean puppet warmongers, who are unprecedentedly frantic in their anti-Republic confrontation schemes, and the war criminal state of Japan, which is racing toward military expansion, is becoming increasingly blatant, and moves to strengthen military coordination between South Korea, Japan, and NATO are intensifying."

Furthermore, it claimed that preemptive strike training was conducted during RIMPAC, stating, "The preemptive strike elements that the U.S., South Korea, and Japan have repeatedly mastered in aggressive war exercises such as 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' and 'Freedom Edge' were continued in successive processes, including ground and landing drills."

The agency specifically criticized the joint U.S.-South Korea Marine Corps training, stating, "It is highly significant that the U.S. and South Korean Marine Corps frantically conducted a joint air assault maneuver simulating 'infiltration into enemy rear areas' from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Essex as part of RIMPAC."

It also drew attention to the participation of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (100,000-ton class), denouncing it by saying, "They are inciting war fever while conducting joint operations with war henchmen," and adding, "The Pacific has now turned into a battlefield thick with the smell of gunpowder, regardless of its name."

The agency also pointed out that artificial intelligence technology was introduced in this exercise and that the integrated operation of unmanned and manned weapon systems was highlighted as a core area, threatening, "These facts indicate which forces are shaking the foundation of world peace and security, and this foreshadows that undesirable situations could occur on the Korean Peninsula and in the region in the near future."

The commentary was also published on page 6 of the Rodong Sinmun, which is read by North Korean residents.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.