Papers Wednesday say this in signed commentaries.

Rodong Sinmun says:

The U.S. imperialist bellicose forces and the south Korean puppets are staging the exercises according to the "joint operation plan" they worked out from a new angle to cope with the "change of circumstances for security" on the Korean Peninsula. This clearly proves that they are typical actual maneuvers to realize the adventurous strategy for a preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK.

By waging the joint military exercises simulating the invasion of the north despite the strong protest and denunciation at home and abroad the south Korean ruling forces seek to back the current "sanctions" against the DPRK by force and, at the same time, intensify the posture for joint operation to invade the DPRK together with the U.S. to cope with the "transfer of the right to command the wartime operation" and thus do harm to the DPRK by force of arms at any cost.

We do not want a war but are not afraid of it.

The army and the people of the DPRK are fully ready to react to the enemy's provocation with merciless retaliation and to its all-out war with an all-out war in order to protect the dignity and sovereignty of the nation and the supreme interests of the country.

Minju Joson says that the military option is not almighty, stressing that the U.S. should drop the perspective dating back to the old era and stop acting rashly when it comes to the Korean issue.