On Tuesday, North Korea again condemned the United States and South Korea for initiating their regular joint exercise, Freedom Shield (FS). However, Pyongyang remained silent on its ballistic missile provocations, which occurred on Monday, the start date of the exercise.
In a statement published by its official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, North Korea criticized the U.S. and what it called the “South Korean puppet military” for proceeding with Freedom Shield 2025 despite repeated warnings.
The publication claimed that the exercise includes implementing “Operation Plan 2022,” which aims for a “preemptive strike” on North Korean nuclear facilities. It further argued that the drills follow the “nuclear deterrence and nuclear operations guidelines” announced last year. Rodong Sinmun also emphasized that the scale of the drills has expanded compared to previous years.
The newspaper further asserted that the joint military exercises are “clearly aggressive nuclear war drills” targeting North Korea. It added that these “largest-ever joint military exercises” expose to the world who is truly responsible for escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, once again criticizing both the U.S. and South Korea.
Interestingly, North Korean media outlets did not report on the country’s own short-range ballistic missile launch the previous day. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the West Sea from inland Hwanghae Province on Monday.
This missile launch, the first since the beginning of the Trump administration’s second term, is widely interpreted as a response to the FS exercise. On the first day of the drills, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry press office warned of potential “high-intensity provocations,” stating that the country would continue to exercise strategic deterrence.
The North Korean media’s lack of coverage of the missile launch may indicate a strategy to report on multiple launches collectively. Pyongyang may plan to compile and release details of its military responses after the conclusion of the ten-day U.S.-South Korea joint exercises.
Meanwhile, the Freedom Shield exercise officially began on Monday, marking the first regular U.S.-South Korea joint exercise since the start of Trump’s second term. Scheduled to run until March 20, this year’s exercise incorporates various scenarios reflecting recent developments, including potential tactical changes resulting from North Korea’s military deployment to Russia and the regime’s escalating nuclear threats.