North Korea has declared that it is not interested in dialogue with the United States, and has threatened to use "crushing nuclear force" in any future confrontation.
And the North Korean Foreign Ministry said Thursday morning in a statement that the joint exercises between the United States in the region have pushed the situation to the extreme red lines, which threatens to turn the Korean peninsula into a huge arsenal of war, as it put it.
The statement added that Pyongyang is no longer interested in dialogue as long as Washington continues to pursue "hostile policies."
The statement condemned the exercises carried out by the United States and South Korea on Wednesday using combat aircraft from both countries, and threatened to respond to any US military moves, including "crushing nuclear force if necessary."
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held talks in Seoul on Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup, where Austin condemned what he described as North Korea's provocations and undermining stability in the region, stressing his country's commitment to taking conventional and nuclear deterrence measures to protect South Korea.
The two ministers agreed to review the deterrence strategy regarding North Korea's threats, especially after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently called for a "massive" increase in Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.