For Pyongyang, the situation on the Korean peninsula is at the “extreme limit of the red line”

South Korean K-9 self-propelled guns in exercise not far from the inter-Korean border (illustration image).

AP - Ahn Young-joon

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The joint exercises between South Korea and the United States have pushed the situation to " 

the extreme limit of the red line 

".

A statement signed by the North Korean Foreign Ministry this Thursday, February 2, which is a direct response to comments made by the head of the Pentagon, traveling to Seoul earlier this week.

The latter mentioned, among other things, the intensification of military exercises, and simulations of nuclear response to the use of the atomic bomb by Pyongyang. 

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With our correspondent in Seoul,

Nicolas Rocca

Coming to South Korea to reassure his ally of the support of the United States, Lloyd Austin, the American Secretary of Defense will in any case have succeeded in getting North Korea to react.

Pyongyang claims to have no intention of discussing as long as Washington continues " 

its hostile policy

 ".

Extension of exercises

If the White House renewed its invitation to dialogue, the meeting on Tuesday between the American and South Korean defense ministers confirmed the offensive strategy of the two countries.

Extension of joint military exercises, deployment of new strategic means and confirmation of the holding in February of simulation exercises for the use of nuclear weapons.

The two allies also flew fighter jets and bombers this Wednesday, February 1.

Direct threat

So many acts and words aimed at convincing public opinion and part of the political class of the solidity of the alliance between Seoul and Washington, while the idea of ​​a South Korean nuclear program is increasingly most popular.

But north of the 38th parallel all this is experienced as a direct threat.

Pyongyang assures that these “ 

military maneuvers of confrontation and hostile acts 

” could transform the peninsula into “

 a more critical war zone 

”. 

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