DPRK says US-ROK provocations heighten military tensions on peninsula

PYONGYANG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday lambasted the latest joint military exercise between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK), calling it a root cause of threats to regional security, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In a press statement carried by the KCNA, a spokesman for the DPRK Ministry of National Defense said the United States and the ROK have mobilized massive air power since Monday to stage the large-scale joint air drill "Freedom Flag" against the DPRK.

The spokesman noted that the U.S. Marine Corps' third expeditionary force staged a multi-domain reconnaissance drill in the ROK for the first time, openly asserting that its purpose was to support the ROK's preemptive "Kill Chain" strike system targeting the DPRK.

The spokesman pointed out that attempts by the United States and the ROK to seek military superiority through the expansion of military alliances and various joint military exercises are a cause of threats to the regional security environment.

"There is no limit for the DPRK's option to maintain a strong deterrent posture capable of effectively coping with all threats posed by the military moves of the U.S. and its vassal forces and to increase the control of the situation in the Korean Peninsula and the region," said the statement.