By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - North Korea on Friday slammed the US and South Korean joint air drills over the Korean peninsula.
“North Korea will resolutely deter any attempt at military provocation by the hostile forces and firmly defend the security interests of the state,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.
Pyongyang said that the US and its “satellites” are provoking North Korea on the security environment of the country.
The statement listed these provocations as the US Air Force planes flew over the “Korean peninsula” on Jan. 3 and 9, the nuclear consultative group meeting took place in Washington between the US and South Korea, and the joint air drills South Korea, the US and Japan launched on Wednesday.
Pyongyang had launched a second missile this year, after testing an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile on Jan. 6 to "counter security threats."
North Korea said that these incidents “foretell the apprehensive direction of the development of the military-political situation on the Korean peninsula in the new year.”
South Korea said on Thursday that it is open to talks with North Korea.