Seoul [South Korea], March 24 : North Korea on Monday criticised the annual joint military drills by the United States and South Korea, calling them a "planned and provocative nuclear war rehearsal."
Pyongyang warned that it will continue to strengthen its striking power to overwhelm any threats from its enemies, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) was cited by South Korea's Yonhap.
The Disarmament and Peace Institute at North Korea's foreign ministry issued the condemnation after Seoul and Washington wrapped up their 11-day annual 'Freedom Shield exercise' on Thursday.
North Korea said the aggressive and offensive nature of this year's drills was the highest in history, according to the KCNA.
Towards the beginning of this month, North Korea fired unidentified ballistic missiles. Pyongyang released back-to-back statements denouncing the latest joint drills of Washington and Seoul, threatening that Seoul and Washington will pay a "horrible" price for their "dangerous provocative act."
Earlier this February, North Korea launched strategic cruise missiles in waters off its west coast to demonstrate the potential of its nuclear deterrence, local media reported adding that its leader Kim Jong-un has called for thorough war preparedness with the country's nuclear forces and readiness for their use.
The United Nations Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions sanctioning North Korea over its illegal missile and nuclear programs since 2006.
Earlier on March 22, Yonhap reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his willingness to "invariably" support Russia's war against Ukraine during his meeting with a top Russian security official.
Kim held "important and useful" discussions with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang the previous day. At the meeting, both sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to defending the security interests of the two countries as well as regional and global issues, while confirming their consensus on such issues.
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