North Korea's defence minister denounces planned US-Japan-South Korea drills

North Korea's newly appointed Defence Minister Kim Song-gi has lashed out at planned trilateral military drills involving South Korea, the United States and Japan, characterizing the exercises as provocative, according to state news agency KCNA.

The defence ministry statement, reported Monday, represents an early signal of Kim Song-gi's hardline stance following his recent appointment to the post. The three-nation military cooperation has long been a flashpoint for Pyongyang, which views such joint exercises as rehearsals for potential military action against the North.

Regular joint drills by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have intensified in recent years amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has consistently protested these exercises, viewing them as threatening moves that justify its own military strengthening.

The timing of Kim Song-gi's statement underscores North Korea's sensitivity to allied military activities in the region and signals the regime's continued focus on countering what it perceives as external military threats.