N. Korea Slams US-S. Korea Joint Military Drills

North Korea slammed on Monday the joint military drills between South Korea and the US. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said that the US and South Korea have never stopped their joint military drills against the North since the signing of the armistice, claiming that "they are now crossing a red line of a new world nuclear warfare without hesitation." North Korea has long denounced Seoul-Washington joint military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion, though the allies said such drills are defensive in nature. Against this backdrop, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has strengthened the country's nuclear deterrence that can end this protracted war forever, the newspaper claimed. The Korean War, which started with an invasion by the North, ended with the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. Since 1996, North Korea has celebrated the armistice signing date as Victory Day, claiming that it won the war against the US. Last year, North Korea held a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary by inviting then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong. Source: Qatar News Agency