The U.S. and south Korean puppet warmongers finally kicked off Key Resolve joint war maneuvers, the provocative saber-rattling for invading the DPRK, despite its repeated warnings and strong denunciation at home and abroad.

The madcap joint war maneuvers under way in the sky, ground and seas of south Korea in parallel with Foal Eagle joint war exercises which started on March 1 are participated in by U.S. imperialist aggressor forces, south Korean puppet troops, armed forces of satellite countries including the UK and Australia, U.S. nuclear carrier group, B-52 strategic bombers, F-22 Stealth fighters, Aegis destroyers and other ground, air and naval strike means equipped with nukes and live shells.

Timed to coincide with the large-scale north-targeted war exercises, the puppet authorities and military gangsters are openly letting loose a spate of provocative outbursts calling for "striking commanding forces and strongholds" and "bringing down the north's regime".

Such three-dimensional joint war exercises are the most dangerous drills for a nuclear war and most undisguised provocations unprecedented in their nature, scale and the program of their drills.

The U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces are, however, describing the war maneuvers as "annual defensive ones" to cope with the "north's provocation" and "threat".

Do they have any reason for raising a hue and cry over someone's "threat" and "provocation" while posing a real threat and committing provocations?

It is the height of shamelessness for the U.S. and its stooges, military gangsters to paint the war exercises for aggression as "annual defensive ones" while staging them after keeping huge nuclear war hardware close to the DPRK's gate for decades.

How can the largest-ever nuclear war maneuvers aimed to mount a preemptive strike at the headquarters of the other party and its strategic bases and "bring down the regime" be "defensive ones"?

The Key Resolve joint military exercises for aggression are a clear declaration of war against the DPRK.

We had already clarified that the Korean Armistice Agreement would be completely nullified, all agreements on the north-south non-aggression be totally scrapped and second and third strong practical countermeasures be taken in succession from March 11 when the nuclear war maneuvers of the U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces to invade the DPRK enter a full-dress stage.

They have challenged the DPRK's ultimatum with their reckless saber-rattling, totally abrogating the AA and agreements on non-aggression, the minimum mechanisms for deterring a war. The complete collapse of this mechanism for averting a war has caused the situation on the peninsula to lead to the outbreak of a war, unhindered. This grave situation clearly proves that the U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces have escalated the tension on the peninsula, deliberately taking issue with the DPRK's legitimate satellite launch for peaceful purposes and its nuclear test, a just measure for self-defence, for the purpose of provoking a war of aggression against the DPRK. It, at the same time, clearly indicates that the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces are chieftains of a war and arch disturbers of peace on the peninsula.

The DPRK's option has become clearer as they kicked off the above-said drills for aggression against it.

It is the invariable stand and will of the army and people of the DPRK to counter enemies coming in attack with a dagger with a sword, a rifle with an artillery piece and nukes with precision nuclear strike means of Korean style more powerful than them.

The hearts of our service persons and people are burning with the will to annihilate the enemies and all of them are now seeking a way to give vent to their pent-up grudge against them.

All service personnel and people of the DPRK and all its offensive means including sophisticated nuclear strike means are in place for a final offensive for national reunification as it had already declared.

All strike means of the DPRK have already been put on alert and when they open fire, everything will turn into a sea in flames.

The service personnel and people of the DPRK have turned out as one in an all-out action. If the U.S. imperialists and south Korean puppet forces dare fire even a shell on the inviolable territory, seas and air of the DPRK, its army and people will not miss the golden chance but blow up the strongholds of invasion through merciless strikes and achieve the national reunification, the long-cherished desire of the nation.

Intolerable is the lawless society under the reign of the U.S. high-handed and arbitrary practices.

The DPRK will sternly punish all unjust provocateurs and aggressors with arms for justice.

The U.S. and south Korean puppet forces are wholly to blame for all the ensuing catastrophic consequences from this moment.