US "Rejects the idea of ​​provoking joint exercises... No hostile intentions towards North Korea"

The White House said, "We reject the idea that our joint exercises in the region constitute a provocation against North Korea."

"We have made it clear that we have no hostile intentions toward North Korea and that we are pursuing serious and sustained diplomacy to address a range of issues of concern in the region," a White House spokeswoman said, according to a Reuters report.

The White House spokesperson also emphasized international cooperation for the implementation of sanctions against North Korea, saying, "We will work with our allies to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions aimed at limiting North Korea's weapons programs."

This position of the White House came in response to a statement by a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry criticizing the meeting of the defense ministers of the ROK and the United States.

Earlier, in a statement announced by the Chosun Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry claimed that the extended deterrence operation exercises scheduled for this month and the ROK-US joint outdoor maneuver training, which were scheduled for this month, were "trying to ignite the fuse of an all-out confrontation." I did.

Enlarge Image