North Korea Responds to US Maneuvers On Korean Peninsula by Vowing To Take Toughest Reaction

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Friday, February 2, regarding the visit of United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the joint maneuvers carried out by Seoul and Washington.

The text released by the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that the United States military actvity would not be ignored, and that the military and political situation on the peninsula had reached an extreme red line. On Wednesday, US strategic bombers and stealth fighters flew in South Korea in a maneuvers called “promote the combined operational capabilities of both countries” by the South Korean Defense Minister.

The joint maneuvers and visit of US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin to Seoul invoked a response from the North Korean Foreign Ministry. Regarding the exercises, They said: “We will take the toughest reaction to any US military attempt on the principle of a nuclear weapon for a nuclear weapon and a full confrontation for a full confrontation.” They also affirm, that as long as Washington maintains a “hostile policy towards the North,” there it is not interested in holding dialogue with the US.

These responses from Pyongyang come after a year of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in which North Korea took part in more than fifty missile tests in 2022 and US military activity began to increase again towards the end of the year.