opinion

The Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea released the following press statement "To bolster up self-defensive power for defending security environment of Korean peninsula and region is urgent requirement of times" on August 18:

The US and the ROK are going to stage Ulji Freedom Shield, large-scale provocative joint military exercises, from August 19 to 29.

Even vassal countries affiliated to the "UN Command" will reportedly take part in the exercises involving 48 rounds of various field manoeuvres such as live firing and landing drills on the ground and sea and in the sky.

Thus, Ulji Freedom Shield fully betrays its dangerous colours as the biggest military manoeuvres in the Asia-Pacific region and attack-oriented multinational muscle-flexing involving even NATO member states.

The Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK makes public this press statement to disclose the rash confrontational moves of the US and the ROK escalating regional military confrontation and contradiction by kicking off such aggressive large-scale joint military exercises despite strong internal and external opposition.

Is Ulji Freedom Shield "defensive" and "transparent"?

A spokesperson for the US Department of State recently termed the US-ROK joint military exercises "regular" and "defensive", touting their "transparency."

This is no more than rhetoric to cover up the dangerous and grave nature of their joint military drills and evade international community's criticism.

It is clearly recorded in the world history of wars that in preparation for a war, aggressor states followed a series of procedures, including adoption of war policy and military operation plan for its execution, advance deployment of forces, ceaseless simulated and actual war drills and war provocation.

The current US administration has more openly pursued the policy of using nuclear weapons against the DPRK by specifying the "end of regime" of the latter as a goal in its "nuclear posture review" made public after its inauguration. It has put into practice its nuclear confrontation policy against the DPRK by releasing the "Washington Declaration", establishing a new US-ROK "nuclear consultative group" and cooking up the "guidelines on nuclear strategic plan and its operation."

According to them, nuclear-powered submarines of the US frequented the waters near the Korean peninsula in 2023, seven times as much as in 2022, and the number of flights of its fighters and bombers in the sky above it has quadrupled. Against this backdrop, nuclear carrier strike groups are being deployed there one after another along with massive introduction of latest US war hardware such as F-35 stealth fighters and SM-6 ship-to-air interceptor missiles.

Worse still, the number of field manoeuvres, staged as part of Ulji Freedom Shield, increased to 38 in 2023 and 48 in 2024, and they have turned into provocative special warfare ones in content such as special war training aimed at "occupation of Pyongyang" and "beheading operation."

Notably, the current exercises, including a drill simulating a nuclear confrontation with the DPRK, bring to light clearer the provocative nature of Ulji Freedom Shield as a prelude to a nuclear war.

"Transparency" of the joint military drills touted by the US is no more than trickery to deceive the international community.

Most of the countries, which are to "observe" whether the US-ROK joint military exercises are staged in conformity with the requirements of the Korean Armistice Agreement, are member states of the "UN Command" or NATO member states under the control of the US. So it is clearly evident that it is utterly impossible to expect any neutrality or impartiality from them.

All facts prove that Ulji Freedom Shield is neither "defensive" nor "transparent" but the most offensive and provocative war drills for aggression in the world.

What impact do the US-led joint military exercises have on international peace and stability?

It is the typical method of the US to pursue its unilateral and absolute security by infringing upon other countries' security and interests.

It is clearly evidenced by the fact that the US and its vassal countries have staged more than 200 joint military drills in the world annually and they have become more threatening in their nature.

As for RIMPAC kicked off in 1971 against the former Soviet Union, the joint military manoeuvres didn't disappear despite the end of the Soviet-US Cold War but have developed into the world's biggest multinational maritime joint military drills under the pretext of "defeating" new "virtual enemy."

From late June to early August this year, RIMPAC was staged on the largest scale ever, involving 40 warships, three submarines, 150-odd aircraft and 25 000 troops from 29 countries.

International security experts unanimously commented that the forms and contents of RIMPAC clearly prove that they are aimed at laying siege to and deter China.

US-led joint military drills are being staged frequently also in the European region, distressed by the world's worst-ever security crisis brought by the Ukrainian incident, to spark off great concern of the international community.

The US-led joint military exercises Steadfast Defender were staged on the largest scale ever since the end of the Cold War near the border of Russia from January to May this year with the involvement of more than 90 000-strong forces, at least 50 warships including aircraft carriers, 80-odd fighter jets, over 1 100 combat vehicles.

The exercises, aimed at restoring the ever-dampening atmosphere of supporting Ukraine among European countries and inducing them to increase military expenditure, fully show the hostile intention of the US to militarily deter Russia and seize the military hegemony in the region.

It is the fact never to be concealed and denied that the US-led joint military drills are the grave root cause of escalating military confrontation and causing sustained instability across the world. 

What is the best way to ensure peace and stability?

Shortly ago, the US secretaries of State and Defense and the national security adviser of the White House, in an article they jointly contribute to the press, betrayed the sinister intention to seize military hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region by inveigling not only regional vassal countries including Japan and the ROK but also countries outside the region.

This shows that the US-led joint military drills have nothing to do with "preserving regional security" touted by it and its allied forces but serve as a political and military means to take more countries on the confrontation chariot driven by it to realize its hegemony.

Actually, major NATO members are taking part in the US-ROK joint military exercises recently under the signboard of member states of the "UN Command" and the military nexus between Japan, the ROK and NATO is getting further tightened.

The US, which included in its defense budgets the "Pacific deterrence plan" of drastically reinforcing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region in recently years, has annually increased the allotment for carrying it out. This predicts that the US and its vassal countries would more openly engage in military intervention in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity.

The prevailing situation requires the independent and sovereign states to constantly maintain the balance of power for preventing a war by stockpiling the greatest deterrent for guaranteeing their sovereignty, security and interests in every way in the current and future uncertain security environment.

The more frequently the US and its vassal countries commit collective military provocations, the stronger the deterrent of justice for neutralizing the threat from them and ensuring regional and global peace and stability will become.

We will continue to make crucial efforts to build up strong defence capabilities for creditably defending our state sovereignty, security, interests and territorial integrity and change the security environment of the Korean peninsula and the region in our favour.