North Korea fumes over upcoming US-South Korea military drills

Pyongyang has accused the US of pushing the world ‘to the brink of nuclear war’.North Korea has denounced major United States-South Korea military drills set to start next week as a provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula.The US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and North Korea will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent, a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, according to Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3North Korea’s hackers using AI for attacks, cybersecurity firm sayslist 2 of 3N Korea launches ballistic missile as S Korea, US plan military drillslist 3 of 3Why has North Korea fired a missile before US-South Korea drills?end of listPyongyang routinely denounces military drills in the south as a provocation that heightens tensions.The drills – named “Ulchi Freedom Shield” – are due to start on August 17 and will last until August 27. They will incorporate exercises to counter drones, GPS disruption, and cyberattacks as the US and its allies adapt to North Korea’s evolving capabilities.“The US announced that the forthcoming exercises are quite different from the ones of the past five years and intended to master the ability of fighting a war on the basis of the new aspects of modern warfare,” the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in the statement.“It is our consistent principle of ensuring security to respond to a new level of a threat with a new level of a deterrent,” the statement, published by KCNA, added.Lessons learned in Russia-UkraineNorth Korea sent an estimated 12,000-15,000 soldiers to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, and the country is now thought to be preparing the deployment of another 10,000.Thousands died, but the deal provided North Korea with valuable battlefield experience, as well as payment in arms, energy and direct financial support, according to reports.