North Korea warns South and U.S. over 'provocative' drills

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

North Korea warns South and U.S. over 'provocative' drills

SEOUL Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:29pm EST

(Reuters) - North Korea has demanded South Korea and the United States halt their annual military drills due in February and March, saying they were a direct provocation to Pyongyang, in a statement that suggested a re-run of a sharp escalation in tensions last year.

In 2013, Pyongyang said it would retaliate against any hostile moves by striking at the United States, Japan and South Korea, triggering a military buildup on the Korean peninsula and months of fiery rhetoric.

The reclusive North has regularly charged that annual drills such as "Key Resolve" and "Ulchi-Freedom-Guardian" staged by South Korea and United States are a prelude to invasion.

"We sternly warn the U.S. and the South Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military exercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe," state news agency KCNA quoted a body in charge of the North's efforts to promote Korean unification as saying.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/16/us-korea-north-idUSBREA0F01120140116

[jmowreader]

1. They've said this same thing every year since the exercises started

When I was stationed in Korea we had two big exercises: "Ulchi Focus Lens" which is now Ulchi Freedom Guardian, and "Team Spirit" which is now Key Resolve. And the North Koreans demanded we not do either because they were "leading up to war."

The reality of Team Spirit (now Key Resolve) is this: Right now, when shit-house rats want to call one of their number insane they say he's crazier than Kim Jong-Un. He's got a million men under his command, the Han Estuary is frozen hard enough to drive a tank across, and there's nothing he'd like better than to liberate South Korea. So unless KJU can mellow the fuck out between now and March, there's going to be a field training exercise.