N. Korea Vows to Respond if South, U.S. Hold Exercises
MOSCOW — North Korea has said it will take unspecified “responsive measures” if the United States and South Korea press on with joint military exercises, Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency reported Saturday.
Tass, one of the few foreign news agencies with a correspondent in the Communist nation, quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry official as saying the exercises are “provocative military steps” at a time when a 1994 accord with Washington is being properly implemented.
The exercises “are working out a scenario in which a full-scale war is unleashed against the northern part of the Korean peninsula,” Tass quoted the official as saying.
Jane’s, the British-based military publisher, said the two-week “Foal Eagle” exercises between South Korea and the U.S. will take place mostly south of Seoul but with some activity along the North Korean border.
In his statement, carried in state-controlled press, the North Korean official also said the military exercises threaten to fan new mistrust between North Korea and Japan.
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