North Korea warns of risk of accidental conflict during South Korea-US drills

Pyongyang [North Korea], March 10: North Korea has condemned joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a dangerous provocation that could accidentally lead to conflict.
The new warning was issued by the North Korean Foreign Ministry on March 9 and published by the country's media on March 10, a day before the annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
According to Yonhap, North Korea accused South Korea and the US of stubbornly holding large-scale military exercises despite numerous warnings, saying that random shows of force would lead to a serious security crisis.
"This is a dangerous provocation that has led to an urgent situation on the Korean peninsula that could trigger a conflict between the two sides with just an accidental shot," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
South Korea and the United States will begin the Freedom Shield exercise on March 11 and last until March 21. The exercise will include live-fire exercises, computer simulations, and field training.
This is one of the largest annual joint military exercises between the two allies. North Korea claims that this exercise is a dangerous war rehearsal, while the other two countries insist that the activity is purely defensive in nature.
Last week, North Korea warned that South Korea and the United States would pay a terrible price for the joint military exercises.
The latest warning from North Korea came after two South Korean Air Force F-16 fighter jets accidentally dropped eight MK-82 bombs on a village in northern South Korea during a joint military exercise with the US on March 6. The incident injured 19 civilians and damaged 142 houses, according to Yonhap.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper