North Korean Defense Minister Denounces Freedom Edge Exercise, Vows Reflective Countermeasures

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The North Korean defense minister strongly denounced the Freedom Edge exercise involving South Korea, the United States and Japan currently under way, vowing to take "reflective countermeasures," Pyongyang's official media outlet reported Monday.

North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song-gi released the statement through the Korean Central News Agency, noting the exercise poses a security threat that pushes the "instability on the Korean peninsula and beyond the region to the limit.

"If the U.S. and its allies attempt to provoke a new military confrontation with the DPRK, the latter will take strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power," Kim added, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The statement marked the first of its kind issued by Kim since he was appointed Pyongyang's defense minister on Aug. 29, replacing No Kwang-chol.

Kim also took issue with Washington's Orient Shield exercise that will kick off Tuesday involving Japan and Australia, as well as the planned deployment of the U.S. Army's multidomain mobile task force to South Korea later this year.

"The U.S.-led war demonstrations are being staged one after another without any gap in time and space under the situation that the U.S.-Japan-ROK tripartite military cooperation system is being transformed into a dangerous offensive entity accompanied by nuclear elements," the released statement said. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

"If necessary, we will express our will and ability to respond to the enemies' moves with more powerful and resolute action practice," Kim warned.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan began the five-day joint military exercise on the day, proceeding on schedule even as key Seoul-Washington drills were recently scaled back upon U.S. President Donald Trump's order.