North Korea denounces US-South Korea drills, KCNA says

North Korea on Friday denounced major U.S.-South Korean military drills and said they were more provocative than last year's, according to state media.



It said U.S.-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and the country will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent, state media KCNA said, citing a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry.



South Korea and the United States will conduct the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint military drills from August 17 to 27, incorporating exercises to counter drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks as they adapt to North Korea's evolving capabilities.



Pyongyang routinely denounces the military exercises as a provocation that heightens tensions.