Pyongyang, August 17 (KCNA) -- The U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces kicked off provocative Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises for aggression despite repeated warnings of the DPRK and strong protest and denunciation of the public at home and abroad.

This is a reckless action contrary to the expectation and desire of the Korean and other world people aspiring after denuclearization and peace of the Korean Peninsula and an extremely dangerous action to ignite a new war.

They claim that the exercises are "annual" and aim to "cope with threat." But this is no more than sheer sophism intended to cover up their aggressive nature.

Involved in this saber-rattling are more than 30 000 troops of the U.S. forces and at least 56 000 troops of the puppet forces, 530 000 in all, and modern war hardware including sophisticated nuclear strike means. The theatre of these war maneuvers covers vast areas linking the Korean Peninsula with Pacific and the U.S. mainland. This clearly proves the danger of the saber-rattling.

It is also proved by the fact that a drill for eliminating someone's WMDs will be conducted under the simulated conditions of an actual war while the military exercises are under way, pursuant to the new scenario for a war against the DPRK.

This military provocation perpetrated by them in utter disregard of the concern of the international community over the escalating tension on the peninsula and the region goes to prove that the U.S. is the arch criminal harassing peace and standing in the way of the process for the denuclearization of the peninsula.

The reality goes to clearly prove that it is impossible to defuse the military confrontation and danger of war on the peninsula nor is it possible to realize its denuclearization as long as the U.S. vicious hostile policy toward the DPRK and the south Korean conservative authorities' moves to escalate the confrontation with it are allowed to persist.

It is the steadfast stand of the DPRK government to realize the denuclearization on the peninsula.

The denuclearization can never be realized by the efforts of one party alone. This must be a comprehensive and fair one as it should include defusing the danger of war and nuclear threat to the DPRK.

The denuclearization of the peninsula can never go with war maneuvers.

The army and people of the DPRK still remain unchanged in their will and stand to take toughest counteraction against the test nuclear war and preliminary war aimed to mount a surprise preemptive attack on the DPRK.