2010-07-27 16:49

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday declared it did not fear "military threats" and "warnings" by the United States and South Korea, the official news agency KCNA reported.

A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said the large-scale war games held in the Sea of Japan, planned maneuvers for later this year and new sanctions threats against Pyongyang were "serious provocations" to the DPRK and "rude challenges" to the international community appealing for peace.

Japan's participation in the military drills in the name of an "observer" indicated the US, South Korea and Japan were forming a "Military Confederation Triangle," the spokesman said in a statement.

He warned the war flame ignited by the US and South Korea would spread to the whole of Northeast Asia and develop into a new world war, adding the DPRK would counter the war plot with stronger and tougher measures.

The four-day war games launched on Sunday involve the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington, 20 ships and submarines and 200 aircraft, with about 8,000 troops on board. Japan sent four military officials to observe the drills.

In the wake of the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, the United States and South Korea also announced new sanctions against Pyongyang and a series of joint military exercises in the waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula.

Pyongyang has labeled the war games "an unpardonable second military provocation to the DPRK" after Seoul's publication of investigation results of the sinking of the "Cheonan" warship, which killed 46 sailors.

A South Korea-led international investigation blamed the DPRK for sinking the warship "Cheonan" with a torpedo but the latter denied any involvement.