Kim Yo Jong, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, issued the following press statement “Strong is the will of our state to defend peace and security in the Korean peninsula and the region” on March 10:

At a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world due to the reckless acts of the outrageous international rogues, the US-ROK war drill is being staged in the ROK. This will result in further destroying the stability of the region.

On March 9 the enemy states launched the large-scale joint military exercises Freedom Shield, intensively revealing once again their inveterate repugnancy towards the DPRK and habitual hostile policy towards it.

The drill, involving more than 18 000 troops of the ROK and the US forces, is to be staged day and night for 10-odd days across the territorial ground, sea and air of the ROK, and in outer space and cyberspace. It is not a “military game” but a provocative and aggressive war rehearsal of those simulating and planning the confrontation with the DPRK.

The enemies are again calling it “annual” and “defensive” but no matter what justification they may establish and how the elements of the drill may be adjusted, the clear confrontational nature of the high-intensity large-scale war drill staged by the most hostile entities in collusion at the doorstep of the DPRK never changes.

Given that the danger has escalated in recent years as a result of the drastic increase of command and actual field mobilization exercises to apply and get familiar with new modern war manuals and methods appropriate to the actual conditions of the Korean peninsula, accompanied by nuclear elements, such training is being further supplemented by actual and provocative military elements including information warfare and AI technology this year, too. This is another proof of the confrontational nature.

The recent global geopolitical crisis and complicated international events prove that all military manoeuvers of the field warfare troops conducted by the enemy states make no distinction between defence and attack, training and actual warfare, and that they should be suppressed through an extraordinarily overwhelming and preemptive super-offensive, rather than a responsive or proportional action, in order to get fully prepared to cope with them.

Our head of state has already clarified that it is undoubtedly a law and iron principle that the most powerful offensive capability constitutes the most reliable deterrent.

The muscle-flexing of the hostile forces near the areas of our state’s sovereignty and security may cause unimaginably terrible consequences.

The enemies are advised not to try to test our patience, will and capability.

We will watch to what extent the enemy violates the security of our state and what it is playing.

We will perfectly counter the strategic threats to the security of the state and the region through the bolstering of destructive power, including all available special means which cannot but be overwhelming, and through the responsible exercise of such deterrent.

We will also constantly and repeatedly convince the enemies of our war deterrence and its fatality.

We will build up the terrible destructive capability, to which the enemy dare not respond, to firmly defend the peace of the country.

The security sphere of the DPRK is absolutely inviolable, and strong is the will of our state to thoroughly defend the security environment in the Korean peninsula and the region.

KCNA