TOKYO, August 22. /TASS/. Implementing the agreements reached at the Japan-US-South Korea summit on August 18 via the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise will increase the probability of a "thermonuclear war" breaking out on the Korean Peninsula, the North Korean Central News Agency stated in an article.
"If these military exercises involving human and material resources not only of the US and the enemy forces, but also of their satellites, are used to implement the clauses of the agreements fabricated at the talks [of the US, Japanese and South Korean leaders] at [the] Camp David [US presidential retreat], the possibility of the outbreak of a thermonuclear war on the Korean Peninsula will become more real," the article said.
"An unprecedented thermonuclear war is becoming a reality on the Korean Peninsula hour by hour," the North Korean journalists pointed out.
US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol discussed a number of issues, including North Korea, during their summit meeting at Camp David. In particular, they reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the country and said they would begin exchanging real-time information on Pyongyang's missile launches by the end of 2023. The joint statement also said that the sides had already tested a maritime ballistic missile launch warning system in mid-August. Washington, Tokyo and Seoul also signaled their intention to establish a new working group to counter cyber threats from North Korea.
The joint US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began on August 21 and will continue through August 31. During the maneuvers, the two militaries will work out a scenario for a full-scale war. The exercise will feature field, command and staff drills based on computer simulations, as well as civil defense drills. About 30 joint field exercises are planned as part of Ulchi Freedom Shield. Representatives from member nations of the UN Command, including Australia, Canada, France, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Kingdom, are also expected to participate. For the duration of the exercise, Seoul has raised the level of readiness in case of possible retaliation by North Korea.