Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a bylined commentary in this regard:

The U.S. and south Korean warmongers describe the projected war manoeuvres as "annual and defensive" but this rhetoric can never conceal their belligerent nature as they are certain to bring the dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over the peninsula.

A tough-and-go situation is now prevailing on the peninsula due to the vicious hostile actions of the U.S. and its allies and their military racket over the DPRK's satellite launch for peaceful purposes and its step for bolstering nuclear deterrent to protect its sovereignty.

The south Korean military is closeted with the U.S. over the issue of including the concept of "preemptive strike" in the "tailored deterrent strategy", openly crying out for "mounting preemptive strike even if it may entail a war".

Meanwhile, they are staging madcap war maneuvers such as joint naval drill and joint anti-submarine drill with the U.S., while putting spurs to building a "missile shield".

A lot of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces and latest nuclear attack means have already been deployed in south Korea and its vicinity and huge armed forces of the three services of the puppet army and all ministries and agencies of the south Korean "government" have been put on a wartime posture.

The prevailing situation goes to clearly prove how just the DPRK was when it had access to tremendous nuclear deterrent for self-defence to cope with the hostile forces' ever-increasing threat of aggression.

If the U.S. and the south Korean warmongers dare ignite a war of aggression by staging the joint military exercises against the DPRK, from that moment their fate will be hung by a thread with every hour. Its warning is by no means a threat.