UFS Joint Drills Sharply Scaled Back, Yet N. Korea Criticizes Them With Delayed Response Calling for 'New Strength'

North Korea has protested the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), which got underway on the 17th, stating that it will respond to "evolving threats" with "evolving strength."

In a commentary released by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea defined the Ulchi Freedom Shield as the "most direct and blatant threat to the security environment of our country and region," claiming that "the situation on the Korean Peninsula is once again facing the 'threshold' of war outbreak."

Pointing out that the drills involve command post exercises assuming contingencies on the Korean Peninsula and over ten rounds of field maneuvers, the commentary threatened that "our exercise of the right to self-defense to thoroughly neutralize the military threats of the enemies will be expressed through clearer actions."

Due to U.S. President Trump's instruction to scale down the joint drills, more than 10 of the 14 scheduled field maneuvers are likely to be canceled.

Measures such as canceling the counterattack operation drills and Part 2 exercises, to which North Korea has been sensitive, are under review, but the North Korean commentary did not reflect these circumstances.

The commentary stated, "It is necessary to respond with evolved new strength to the increasingly evolving and threatening actions of the enemies," adding, "Enemies that infringe upon and threaten our sovereign security will always be within the crosshairs of annihilating retaliatory means."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.