On Monday, the first day of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise Freedom Shield (FS), North Korea strongly condemned the drills as a “reckless and provocative act”. It reaffirmed its commitment to exercising strategic deterrence in response.
In a Sunday statement published in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the joint exercises reflect the United States’ and South Korea’s persistent and unchanging ambition to overthrow the North Korean regime ultimately.
The ministry pointed out that Operation Plan 2022, which is being applied during this exercise period, aims to conduct a preemptive strike on the U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula announced by South Korea and the U.S. in July 2024. It criticized the move, stating, “The United States’ relentless military frenzy, regardless of the inevitable policy ambiguity that comes with a change in administration, clearly exposes its inherent hostility toward our country and its deeply ingrained practice of sanctions, pressure, and confrontation against North Korea.”
The ministry also highlighted that this year’s drills include a significant increase in large-scale field training exercises compared to last year, a second-phase joint command and control exercise by the U.S. Space Forces Korea aimed at verifying space operation support capabilities in a Korean Peninsula contingency, and a pilot introduction of generative AI technology into joint military exercises. These factors, it claimed, “clearly demonstrate the multidimensional and comprehensive offensive nature of Freedom Shield.”
It warned that the United States’ “reckless actions and irrational choices” in conducting the largest-ever military provocations this year, likening it to playing the first movement of a war symphony, would ultimately have negative consequences for U.S. security.
Reiterating its commitment to countermeasures, the ministry emphasized that Washington’s actions would “only further justify the legitimacy of our strongest response principle against the U.S. and lead to undesirable consequences where it faces increased security threats.”
The ministry also reaffirmed its intent to strengthen its nuclear forces, stating, “Our responsible efforts to establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region through the rapid advancement of our nuclear capabilities will be redoubled.”
Starting Monday, South Korea and the U.S. are conducting Freedom Shield, the first regular joint military exercise since the launch of the second Donald Trump administration. The exercise, running through March 20, incorporates various scenarios reflecting recent developments, including changes in North Korea’s military tactics following its troop deployment to Russia and the increasing sophistication of North Korea’s nuclear threats.
