PYONGYANG, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday urged the U.S. military to leave South Korea, pledging to build up the DPRK's nuclear weapons in response to the upcoming joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.
Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea of the DPRK, said in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that the United States and South Korea desperately started joint military exercises, further accelerating the unstable situation "despite the unanimous denunciation and rejection at home and abroad."
"They are the most vivid expression of the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK, designed to stifle our state by force, and an unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid as they threaten the safety of our people and further imperil the situation on the Korean peninsula," said Kim, who is also the younger sister of the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un.
The joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises include an "exercise of the staff for crisis control" on Aug. 10-13 and a "combined command exercise" on Aug. 16-26, according to the KCNA.
"The dangerous war exercises pushed ahead by the U.S. and the South Korean side disregardful of our repeated warnings will surely make them face more serious security threat," she warned.
She urged the United States to withdraw its troops from South Korea, saying "for peace to settle on the peninsula, it is imperative for the U.S. to withdraw its aggression troops and war hardware deployed in South Korea."
As long as the U.S. forces stay in South Korea, "the root cause for the periodic aggravation of the situation on the Korean peninsula will never vanish," Kim said.
