North Korea threatens preemptive attack on US-South Korea joint military exercises.

North Korea threatened today to launch a preemptive strike in retaliation for recent joint military exercises by U.S. and South Korean special operations forces.

A North Korean missile test launch. Photo: KRT.

"We will mercilessly crush all their efforts with preemptive special operations and preemptive attacks," a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) said today.

North Korean attacks would be carried out without warning and at a time of their own choosing, as long as U.S. special forces remain in South Korea.

U.S. special forces, including SEAL Team 6, are participating in the annual joint exercise, *Foal Eagle*, in South Korea. *Foal Eagle* began on March 1st and is expected to last until the end of April. Running concurrently with *Foal Eagle* is the *Key Resolve* exercise, which began on March 13th.

In response, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) warned North Korea that it would face consequences for its provocative actions, Yonhap reported.

"If North Korea provokes us, our military will respond forcefully because we are prepared and confident that such action would only lead to self-destruction," the JCS said.

South Korea maintains that the "Foal Eagle" exercise is merely a defensive drill aimed at preparing the US-South Korea alliance to defend Seoul in the event of conflict. North Korea views it as a war drill targeting Pyongyang.

According to VNE