N. Korea on alert for S. Korea-U.S. joint military drill

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SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean army on Monday ordered its troops to be
on "special alert," denouncing a joint military exercise by South Korea and the
United States as a "grave threat" to peace.
It also vowed to retaliate against any provocation with a "merciless and prompt
annihilating strike at the aggressors with all offensive and defensive means
including nuclear deterrent involved," the communist state's military supreme
command said in an English language report delivered by its official news agency.
The remarks come as South Korea and the United States will start a joint military
exercise on Monday. The North has called it a prelude to an invasion but Seoul
and Washington refute the claim, saying the exercise is purely defensive.
The two Koreas are still technically at war, since the Korean War ended in an
armistice, not a permanent peace treaty. Millions of troops are deployed on both
sides of the border.
The command described the exercise as a "blatant challenge and grave threat to
the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Asia," saying that the allies
were preparing to launch a "surprise preemptive strike" on its country.
The country also suggested employing a "nuclear deterrent" as a means of defense
should the U.S. and South Korea "commit even the slightest military provocation"
that violates North Korea's sovereignty.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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