The Korean Central News Agency released a commentary under the title "Destruction of the Balance of Power on the Korean Peninsula and in the Region Will Never Be Allowed".

The commentary said:

The United States is going to hold with the Republic of Korea the third nuclear operation drill dubbed "Iron Mace" simulating a full-scale nuclear war under the pretext of countering someone's "use of nuclear weapons" from September 15 in the wake of the ones in August last year and April this year.

It was open to public that the enemies will train themselves to be ready to take all extended deterrence measures to cope with "nuclear and missile threats" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea including the joint planning procedure which requires the Republic of Korea to support the US nuclear strategic assets with its conventional combat power in case they are deployed. The reality clearly shows that the United States completely made the nuclear strike on the DPRK a fait accompli and is recklessly pushing ahead with the military preparations for it at the practical stage.

Timed to coincide with the nuclear operation drill "Iron Mace", the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea will launch the third multi-domain joint military exercises "Freedom Edge" in the open sea south of Jeju Island. The United States and Japan are also staging actual manoeuvres "Resolute Dragon" on the largest scale ever seen before in Japan from September 11 with huge forces and latest war hardware involved in it. And the United States and the Republic of Korea will reportedly have "nuclear consultative group" meeting, a confab to map out the scenario for a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, in October for the second time this year.

In particular, it is said that there is a possibility the United States, together with Japan and the Republic of Korea, would prepare the "plan for using nuclear weapons in case of contingency in the Indo-Pacific region" with the "nuclear consultative group" meeting as an occasion. This public opinion shows that the danger of a nuclear war is expanding to a large area as well as the Korean peninsula.

As evidenced by the upcoming "Iron Mace" and "Freedom Edge" whose code names themselves are bellicose and ongoing "Resolute Dragon" soon after the US-ROK large-scale nuclear war drills "Ulji Freedom Shield" which included the drill of striking the DPRK's nuclear facilities, muscle-flexing of the US-ROK, US-Japan and US-Japan-ROK targeting the DPRK and the regional states is dramatically increasing in its scale on the Korean peninsula and its vicinity. This clearly shows that the US-Japan-ROK nuclear military alliance with the United States as its axis has entered into full operation.

The present situation urgently demands that the DPRK further harden the counteraction posture of the nuclear force and requires it to thoroughly neutralize the military activities of the aggressive nature among the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea with absolute military strength. The destruction of the balance of power on the Korean peninsula and in the region will never be allowed.