Pyongyang: North Korea on Sunday strongly criticized the recent joint air drills conducted by South Korea, the United States, and Japan, stating that these military activities are "the main danger factors heightening the level of the military tension" on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding regions.

According to Yonhap News Agency, North Korea expressed grave concerns over what it perceives as hostile actions by the trio, accusing them of persistently engaging in provocative military maneuvers while ignoring North Korea's security concerns. The statement, released through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) by the head of North Korea's defense ministry's policy office, warned of serious consequences for the regional situation.

On Friday, South Korea's defense ministry announced that the air drills were held over international waters near the southern South Korean island of Jeju, featuring at least one U.S. B-52H bomber. This marked the bomber's first deployment near the Korean Peninsula this year.

The North Korean official further accused the trilateral military alliance of transforming into a nuclear-based triangular military coalition. The statement emphasized that the actions of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are escalating tensions and danger on the Korean Peninsula, asserting North Korea's right to respond to such provocative military actions.