North Korea says U.S. drills threaten to turn region into 'critical war zone' - Reuters

SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - North Korea's Foreign Ministry said connected Thursday that drills by the United States and its allies person pushed the concern to an "extreme red-line" and endanger to crook the peninsula into a "huge warfare arsenal and a much captious warfare zone."

The statement, carried by authorities quality bureau KCNA, said Pyongyang was not funny successful dialog arsenic agelong arsenic Washington pursues hostile policies.

"The subject and governmental concern connected the Korean peninsula and successful the portion has reached an utmost red-line owed to the reckless subject confrontational manoeuvres and hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces," an unnamed ministry spokesperson said successful the statement.

In Washington, the White House rejected the North Korean connection and reiterated a willingness to conscionable with North Korean diplomats "at a clip and spot convenient for them."

"We person made wide we person nary hostile intent toward the DPRK and question superior and sustained diplomacy to code the afloat scope of issues of interest to some countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

The North Korean connection cited a sojourn to Seoul this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. On Tuesday Austin and his South Korean counterpart vowed to expand subject drills and deploy much "strategic assets," specified arsenic craft carriers and long-range bombers, to antagonistic North Korea's weapons improvement and forestall a war.

"This is simply a vivid look of the U.S. unsafe script which volition effect successful turning the Korean peninsula into a immense warfare arsenal and a much captious warfare zone," the North Korean connection said.

North Korea volition respond to immoderate subject moves by the United States, and has beardown counteraction strategies, including "the astir overwhelming atomic force" if necessary, the connection added.

When asked astir the tensions with North Korea during a halt successful the Philippines connected Thursday, Austin said that the U.S. extremity is to beforehand greater information and stability, and that it remains committed to defending South Korea.

"We volition proceed to enactment alongside our allies and bid and guarantee that we support credible and acceptable forces," helium said.

More than 28,500 American troops are based successful South Korea arsenic a bequest of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended successful an armistice alternatively than a bid treaty.

"We cull the conception that our associated exercises with partners successful the portion service arsenic immoderate benignant of provocation. These are regular exercises afloat accordant with past practice," the White House connection said.

Last year, North Korea conducted a grounds fig of ballistic rocket tests, which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions. It was besides observed reopening its shuttered atomic weapons trial site, raising expectations of a atomic trial for the archetypal clip since 2017.

In New York, South Korea's overseas minister, Park Jin, met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres connected Wednesday and called for the U.N.'s continued attraction to North Korea's caller provocations and efforts to instrumentality sanctions connected the reclusive regime.

Guterres said immoderate resumption of atomic investigating by North Korea would woody a devastating stroke to determination and planetary security, and reaffirmed enactment to physique lasting bid connected the Korean peninsula, according to Park's office.

Park is connected a four-day travel to the United States, which volition see a gathering with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken successful Washington connected Friday.

On Wednesday the United States and South Korea carried retired a associated aerial drill with American B-1B dense bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, arsenic good arsenic F-35 jets from some countries, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.

"The combined aerial drills this clip amusement the U.S.' volition and capabilities to supply beardown and credible extended deterrence against North Korea's atomic and rocket threats," the Defense Ministry said successful a statement.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Soo-hyang Choi successful Seoul, Steve Holland successful Washington, and Karen Lema successful Manila; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Bill Berkrot and Gerry Doyle

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