PYONGYANG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Kim Song Gi, defense minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), warned that his country will take strong countermeasures if the United States and its allies attempt to provoke a new military confrontation, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday.
In a press statement released by KCNA, the DPRK defense chief made the remarks about the ongoing joint Freedom Edge military exercises by the U.S., Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Kim also accused the U.S. military of planning to stage Orient Shield, the largest-ever joint military drills with Japan and Australia, from Sept. 8 to 24.
Noting "the U.S.-Japan-ROK tripartite military cooperation system is being transformed into a dangerous offensive entity," Kim stressed that the U.S.-led war demonstrations are being staged one after another and pushing instability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond the region to the limit.
The DPRK military official condemned what he called "the reckless military moves of the U.S. and its satellite countries to create a serious military confrontation and possibility of conflict on the Korean Peninsula," and sounded a note of warning against the consequences to be entailed by them.
The DPRK, if necessary, will "respond to the enemies' moves with more powerful and resolute action practice," Kim added in the statement. ■
