Seoul: The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) stated that its combined military exercises with South Korea are "strictly defensive" following North Korea's accusations that the drills are aimed at deterring the North.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the USFK's statement followed Pyongyang's condemnation of the joint military activities, which include the Silent Shark anti-submarine warfare drills and the recent deployment of U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Osan Air Base in South Korea. The USFK emphasized that their training events are transparent, focusing on deterrence, defense, and the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. They reiterated that the exercises are designed to prevent conflict and not to incite it.

The USFK stated that these defensive training exercises are conducted in a routine and pre-planned manner, with the goal of defending the allied nations and upholding their "ironclad commitment" to South Korea. North Korea has frequently criticized the presence of U.S. strategic assets in South Korea and the execution of large-scale joint exercises between the allies.

In a recent statement, North Korea asserted its readiness to counteract what it perceives as confrontational actions by enemy states, declaring that any threats to its security will become direct targets of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The commentary, disseminated via the state-run Korean Central News Agency, seemed to underscore Pyongyang's alignment with China, which has accused the United States of attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding region.