PYONGYANG, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States, Japan and South Korea are poised to pose a "trinity" threat by conducting joint drills to strengthen their ability to carry out combined warfare, potentially leading to "a new security crisis in the Asia-Pacific region," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Tuesday.
The KCNA was citing an article by a military commentator from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The threat posed by "the trinity" of the three countries is looming large, as they openly ignore the security concerns of the regional countries and are steadily strengthening their ability to carry out combined warfare to ensure a military edge, said the commentary dated Monday.
The article noted that South Korea and Japan have played commanding roles during the recent RIMPAC exercises, calling it a clear sign showing the strategic attempt of the United States to establish an absolute military hegemony in the Asia-Pacific by imposing more security burdens on its two Asian allies.
Regarding the region around the Korean Peninsula, the commentary said the United States and South Korea have staged joint air drills and conducted Combined Joint Sustainment Training on an unprecedented scale.
In the meantime, the United States is speeding up the transformation of the U.S. Forces in Japan into a unified military command with independent operational capabilities, in a bid to strengthen command synergy with the integrated operation command of the Self-Defence Forces of Japan, said the article.
The United States is also scheming to deploy the Typhon medium-range strategic missile system in South Korea after deploying it in Japan, it added.
Japan test-launched the Tomahawk long-range cruise missile it purchased from the United States in the Pacific Ocean amid an open discussion about going nuclear on its own accord, while South Korea has been developing a nuclear submarine in real earnest, said the commentary.
The moves by the United States, Japan and South Korea undermine security and exacerbate instability in the Asia-Pacific region, the article warned, urging vigilance against and efforts to deter such developments. ■