North Koreaon Monday, accused the US to step up “nuclear blackmail”. when Washington and its Asian allies held joint naval missile defense exercises.

What happened: Kim Jong UnVice President of the Central Military Commission of the ruling party, Ri Pyong Cholin a statement criticized the US for convening a UN Security Council Session on his ICBM or ICBM test.

Ri synchronized PyongyangWeapon development as a self-defense measure against Washington. He accused the US to stoke regional tensions “to the brink of explosion” with military exercises simulating a “preventive nuclear strike and all-out war” against the North.

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To North Korea, on Friday, tested a new solid fuel ICBMthe USA, with its allies South Korea And Japandecided to hold trilateral exercises to improve response to Pyongyang’s threats.

Kim’s official also called the recent use of US strategic bombers near the Korean peninsula “clear evidence that the US nuclear threat and blackmail against us have reached a level that cannot be overlooked.”

“If the US ignores our repeated warnings and continues actions that endanger the security environment of the Korean Peninsula, we will take the necessary measures to make them feel a clearer security crisis and insurmountable threat,” Ri added.

Why it matters: Although North Korea has conducted several missile tests, Some of these triggered evacuation warnings in Japanshe argues that the extensive US joint exercises are bringing the security situation on the Korean peninsula “to the brink of nuclear war”.

Kim’s isolated nation describes the joint exercises as “rehearsals for the invasion”. by the United States and its allies Seoul.”

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