Seoul: North Korea denounced South Korea
and the United States on Tuesday for planning anti-submarine drills
in the Yellow Sea, describing them as a "nuclear war
rehearsal".
South Korea and the United States had planned a joint
naval exercise from September 5 to 9 but it was delayed due to
a typhoon.
Military officials were not available for comment but
Yonhap news agency said the exercise would begin as early as
next week.
Rodong Sinmun, the North`s ruling party newspaper,
accused the United States of mobilizing a nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier "to make the joint military exercises a
nuclear war rehearsal".
"A serious situation, in which an all-out war may break
out by any accident, is now prevailing in the Korean
peninsula," it said.
"However, the US war maniacs are ceaselessly beefing up
armed forces and staging war games in this acute hotspot,
which may drive the situation to an unpredictable grave
phase."
The North`s army and people "can never remain an
onlooker", the newspaper said, adding they would "go all-out
to display the stamina of (North Korea) if the enemies dare
provoke".
Relations soured dramatically this year after the South
accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships and
killing 46 sailors in March. The North denied involvement and
threatened retaliation.
PTI
