Government: "ROK-US joint exercises are defensive, not hostile acts"... Kim Jong Un criticizes UFS

[Financial News] The government stated that the ROK-US joint exercises that began on the 18th are not hostile acts against North Korea and are defensive in nature. Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, criticized the ROK-US joint exercises as hostile acts against North Korea and claimed the legitimacy of North Korea's nuclear armament. On the 19th, the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Unification expressed that the ROK-US joint exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), is a defensive drill. Last year's UFS exercise checked the response capability against the North Korean nuclear threat.
The Presidential Office explained in a briefing that day, when asked about North Korea's reaction, "Regarding the Ulchi exercise, it is always a defensive training." The Ministry of Unification also stated a similar stance on the ROK-US joint exercises, saying, "There is no intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula."
Additionally, they downplayed Kim's reaction as not unusual compared to past instances. However, given that Kim's criticism came right after President Lee Jae-myung's preemptive restoration of the 9.19 military agreement and a non-aggression declaration towards the North Korean regime, challenges in future denuclearization negotiations are anticipated.
Kim criticized the ROK-US joint UFS exercise that began on the 18th, saying, "The joint military exercises of the United States and South Korea are the most hostile and confrontational acts against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, openly showing their intentions." Kim also claimed, "The deepening military collusion and military demonstrations of the US and South Korea are the clearest expressions of war provocation intentions," and argued that "a groundbreaking and rapid change and radical expansion of nuclear armament are necessary."
The ROK and the US will conduct the UFS joint exercise until the 28th. Due to the coordination proposal by Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-young, who is seeking dialogue with North Korea, about half of the originally planned 40 outdoor maneuver exercises (FTX) have been postponed to after September.





rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter