North Korea Promises ‘Expanded, Intensified’ Military Drills

Facts

• Top North Korean army officials have said they will expand and intensify military drills to ensure war readiness, state media reported Tuesday ahead of a military anniversary.
• North Korea’s declaration reportedly came at a meeting Monday overseen by leader Kim Jong-un and followed last week's joint air drills by South Korea and the US.
• The meeting comes as North Korea is expected to hold a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces on Wednesday. It also follows North Korea saying the country isn't interested in dialogue as long as the US continues to pursue 'hostile policies.'
• Last week, North Korea threatened to respond to US military maneuvers with the “most overwhelming nuclear force” as it condemned US plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea. In 2022, North Korea reportedly fired more than 70 ballistic missiles, including potential nuclear-capable weapons designed to strike targets in South Korea and the mainland US.
• Kim recently called for an “exponential” increase in North Korea's nuclear arsenal, including mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons,  developing new missiles for nuclear counterattacks, and more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• South Korea has said that joint exercises demonstrate the US's “extended deterrence,” referencing its commitment to defend Seoul in the case of a North Korean threat.

Sources: Barrons, Barrons, Reuters, ABC News, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. Joint drills between the US and South Korea won't be stopped just because North Korea throws a fit. The US is steadfast in its commitment to defending South Korea, and Kim's threats of military action — and increasingly worrisome nuclear tests — are unacceptable. The US and South Korea are rightly committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by WSWS. Although the joint military drills are being portrayed as a defensive response to alleged North Korean military threats, they need to be called out for what they really are – large-scale provocations. Rather than trying to de-escalate the situation with North Korea, the US has once again deliberately inflamed tensions in the region.

Predictions