Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of North Korea's Workers' Party, issued a critical statement just one day after the launch of US-South Korea joint military exercises.
In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency on March 10, Kim said, "From the 9th, hostile nations have once again revealed their innate rejection of us and their habitual hostile policy by launching the large-scale joint military exercise 'Freedom Shield.'"
She also referenced recent Middle East developments, stating, "At this grave moment when the global security framework is rapidly collapsing and wars are breaking out everywhere due to the reckless actions of tyrannical international gangsters, the US-South Korea war exercises being forced upon the Korean Peninsula will further destroy regional stability."
Kim dismissed justifications for the drills. "The enemies are again holding up signs saying 'annual' and 'defensive,' but no matter what justification they establish or how training elements are adjusted, the unmistakably confrontational nature of high-intensity, large-scale war exercises does not change one bit," she said.
She specifically claimed that the allies had strengthened "practical and provocative elements" by incorporating information warfare and artificial intelligence technology into their joint exercises, calling this "a trend that amplifies danger."
Kim warned that North Korea's response would go beyond proportional measures. "This must be suppressed with an extraordinarily overwhelming and preemptive super-strong offensive, not one of corresponding nature or proportionality," she said.
"We will watch how much the enemy touches the security of our nation and what games they play," Kim added. "We will firmly manage strategic threats to national and regional security through the loading of destructive force, including all available special means that cannot help but be overwhelming, and through the responsible exercise of that deterrent."
US and South Korean military authorities launched the Freedom Shield exercise on March 9 to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. Approximately 18,000 troops are participating this year, similar to last year's level. However, 22 field training exercises involving actual troop movements are scheduled during the drill period—less than half of the 51 conducted during last year's March exercise.