The latest tests came as South Korean and US troops began their largest amphibious landing exercise in years on Monday, involving a US amphibious assault ship.
North Korea said the US and South Korea were taking the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an “irreversibly dangerous point” with their drills, and that such moves would require its forces to “gear themselves up for an all-out war”. There is a need to tighten up and strengthen our nuclear force.” On priority basis both in quality and quantity.
The US ship, USS Makin Island, docked Wednesday at a naval base in South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan, carrying 10 F-35 stealth fighters.
Pyongyang has long been incensed by South Korean and US military drills it says are preparing for an invasion of the North.
South Korea and the US say the exercises are purely defensive and have criticized the tests as destabilizing and a violation of UN sanctions.
The affiliates concluded 11 days of their regular springtime drills, called Freedom Shield 23, but they have other field training drills in progress.