South Korea and U.S. hold a joint aerial drill at Gunsan Air Base on Oct. 31, 2022.
Handout | Getty Images
The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises within the region are a provocation and said the US has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.
“We’ve got made clear now we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to deal with the total range of issues of concern to each countries and the region,” said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
The White House comment got here after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said that drills by the US and its allies have pushed the situation to an “extreme red-line” and threaten to show the peninsula right into a “huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone.”
The statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not curious about dialog so long as Washington pursues hostile policies.
The White House statement reiterated a U.S. willingness “to satisfy with DPRK representatives at a time and place convenient for them.”
“We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners within the region function any form of provocation. These are routine exercises fully consistent with past practice,” the official said.
“America is constant to work closely with allies and partners to make sure peace and stability within the region. At the identical time, we are going to proceed to work with allies and partners to totally implement U.N. Security Council resolutions that reflect the desire of the international community and to limit the DPRK’s ability to advance its illegal weapons programs and threaten regional stability,” the official said.
