North Korea slams South Korea-U.S. ‘Freedom Flag’ drills but does not resume loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South

[Financial News] North Korea has strongly pushed back, condemning the joint exercise, ‘Freedom Flag,’ currently being conducted by the ROK and U.S. air forces. Freedom Flag is a large-scale joint air exercise held twice a year by the ROK and U.S. air forces to strengthen their combined operational capabilities and interoperability.
This year's second-half Freedom Flag exercise, which is being held at the Gunsan base through the 6th of next month, will involve fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, aerial refueling tankers and unmanned attack aircraft from the ROK and U.S. air forces, as well as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. A South Korea-led joint exercise in preparation for the transfer of wartime operational control will also take place.
In a statement on the 30th, a spokesperson for North Korea's Ministry of National Defense protested the Freedom Flag exercise, which began on the 26th, calling it a provocative large-scale joint air exercise targeting North Korea.
The spokesperson noted that the Army, Navy and Marine Corps also took part in the exercise, in addition to the ROK and U.S. air forces; that fighter jets, airborne early warning aircraft, aerial refueling tankers and attack drones were deployed; and that the U.S. III Marine Expeditionary Force had for the first time conducted in South Korea the multi-domain reconnaissance exercise it had been carrying out in Hawaii.
The spokesperson warned that the exercise, which was not defensive in nature, was becoming a factor in triggering an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
A spokesperson for North Korea's Ministry of National Defense also warned that North Korea could respond militarily to hostile acts threatening its security, citing the exercise of its sovereignty as justification.
North Korea had previously warned that it would complete preparations sometime this month to resume loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at South Korea near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and would even deploy new weapons. However, the Ministry of Unification and the military believe that no notable unusual activity has yet been detected in North Korea. The day before, residents near the DMZ reported strange noises coming from the North, but the National Intelligence Service dismissed the reports as mistaken reports.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter