North Korea has denounced a major joint exercise planned by the South Korean and U.S. militaries as “direct military provocation” and warned of counteraction, despite signs of easing tension across the border under a new leader in Seoul. North Korea’s Defence Minister No Kwang Chol said its military has an “absolute mission” to defend national security against the large-scale 11-day drills by South Korea and the United States, which he said posed a real and dangerous threat. “The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the U.S. and the (South) with thoroughgoing and resolute counteraction posture and strictly exercise the sovereign right,” No said in a statement issued via the KCNA state news agency on Monday.
DPRK is short for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name. No said the drills staged under the pretext of defence against threats were additional proof of the confrontational intent by the two countries that raises hostility and further destabilises regional security. North Korea routinely denounces military drills by the South and the United States, having called some previous exercises “a rehearsal” for nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, even as Pyongyang conducted a range of missile tests and live fire artillery exercises. South Korea and the United States said last week the annual exercise would begin on August 18 to test command control and troop mobilisation under an upgraded security strategy against a heightened threat of nuclear warfare by North Korea.

Full report : North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills despite signs of tensions easing.