North Korea Warns US of Consequences Over ‘Reckless’ Military Drills

The Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has issued a sharp condemnation of the recent joint U.S.–South Korea air drills conducted on April 15, which included the deployment of a U.S. B-1B strategic bomber. In a statement released on April 17, Pyongyang denounced the military exercises as a “reckless bluff” by Washington and warned that such provocative actions are heightening military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to dangerous levels.

According to the DPRK, the U.S. has made clear its confrontational posture through a pattern of repeated military demonstrations near the Korean Peninsula. These actions, the statement argues, are not isolated responses but rather part of a systematic and ongoing strategy to pressure and threaten the DPRK. The deployment of strategic assets—including bombers, aircraft carriers, and nuclear submarines—has become routine, not exceptional. Pyongyang claims that what the U.S. calls deterrence is, in fact, the normalization of hostility.

The statement criticizes the drills as a direct threat to the DPRK’s sovereignty and security. It argues that such actions are not merely symbolic but represent a deliberate buildup of operational readiness by the U.S. to prepare for potential military engagement. By increasing the frequency and sophistication of its joint exercises, the U.S. is, according to Pyongyang, perfecting its plans for a possible strike.

The DPRK warned that these military maneuvers will not only escalate tensions in the region but also increase the security risk to the U.S. mainland itself. It accused Washington of abusing its power and provoking unnecessary conflict, asserting that the more aggressively the U.S. acts, the greater the consequences it will face.

In its closing remarks, the DPRK reaffirmed its stance that it will never tolerate any threat, however small, to its national security. It pledged to maintain and exercise what it called overwhelming deterrence in response to any perceived act of aggression. The statement concluded with a warning that U.S. efforts to embed strategic instability into the region through continuous deployments and pressure would be met with a powerful and unwavering defense.