On Thursday, North Korea condemned the deployment of the U.S. strategic bomber B-1B Lancer, warning that they will not tolerate even the slightest threat from hostile forces.
A spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Defense released a statement in the Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun. The statement criticized the joint air exercises conducted by South Korea and the United States on Tuesday, asserting that these drills clearly demonstrate America’s confrontational stance towards North Korea through repeated displays of military might.
The spokesperson pointed out that the U.S. has recently set new precedents by openly deploying an array of strategic weapons to the Korean Peninsula, including nuclear submarines, strategic bombers, and aircraft carriers. This pattern, according to North Korea, indicates that the U.S. deployment of strategic weapons in the region has shifted from being an emergency measure to a routine military practice, posing a constant threat to regional security.
The statement emphasized that the gravity of these strategic weapon deployments goes beyond mere frequency. It claimed that these exercises serve to refine attack tactics and procedures against North Korea, preparing for potential military action at any moment. The spokesperson warned that such provocative military posturing by the U.S. not only poses a serious risk to North Korea’s sovereignty and regional stability but could also have significant negative repercussions for America’s own security interests.
In response, the spokesperson declared that North Korea will continue to demonstrate its overwhelming deterrence capabilities, making the U.S. realize that unannounced deployments of strategic weapons are both reckless and an unnecessary show of force. The statement warned that as provocations against North Korea escalate, so too will the severity of potential retaliation.
The spokesperson reiterated that North Korea will not tolerate even the slightest threat to its national security and sovereignty from hostile forces. The regime vowed to use its formidable military power to counter what it views as America’s aggressive attempts to destabilize regional security.
It’s worth noting that on Tuesday, South Korea and the U.S. conducted joint air exercises involving American B-1B and F-16 alongside South Korean F-35A and F-16 fighters. This marks the third time this year that the South Korean Ministry of Defense has publicly disclosed the deployment of B-1Bs for joint air drills, and the second such instance since the beginning of the Trump administration’s second term.
North Korea has consistently shown heightened sensitivity to the deployment of U.S. strategic weapons on the Korean Peninsula. In February, the North Korean Ministry of Defense Public Affairs Director issued a statement asserting that North Korea would respond to strategic threats from adversaries like the U.S. with its strategic means.