US-South Korea War Games A Prelude To War: North Korea
REUTERS[ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2003 10:51:53 AM ]

 

SEOUL: A North Korean official newspaper said on Tuesday US-South Korean military exercises due next month signalled plans to attack the Communist state over its suspected nuclear weapons programme. "In actuality, the danger of war on the Korean peninsula is increasing due to the US imperialists' adventurous war games and the regional situation is inching close to the brink of war," said the Minju Joson, published by North Korea's cabinet.

It made no mention of Pyongyang's missile test on Monday that upstaged the inauguration of new South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and rattled financial markets across the region.

"Huge armed forces of the US imperialists have already been deployed in and around South Korea and measures taken to cope with possible contingency. Nobody can predict when the... exercises will go over to real action," it said.

Last week, South Korea and the United States announced plans to hold annual bilateral military exercises in March and April, during which the US military will augment the 37,000 troops it has stationed in the South.