The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197), right, performs a replenishment-at-sea with the South Korean Patrol Combat Corvette Puchon (PCC 773) in the Yellow Sea during exercise Foal Eagle 2013 on March 15, 2013. Ships from the U.S. 7th Fleet and the Republic of Korea were underway for exercise Foal Eagle 2013 (Photo: DOD by Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes).
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (f.k.a. the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland) issued a statement on 15 January (Wednesday) which called the routine joint US-ROK exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, scheduled to take place in February and March, “ a total denial of the improvement of the north-south ties and dialog and is little short of the declaration of a total nuclear stand-off” and said that “we warn the U.S. and the south Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military exercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe.” During 2013, Key Resolve and Foal Eagle incited an intense outcry from Pyongyang including an uptick in military drills, increased inspections, various official statements and media commentary, the convocation of senior-level crisis management meetings and an announcement by the Korean People’s Army [KPA] General Staff that the safety and security of foreigners in the DPRK and elsewhere on the peninsula could not be guaranteed.
According to KCNA, the CPRK statement said:
Marshal Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) in his historic New Year Address clarified the principled and sincere stand to ease tension and ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula and improve the north-south relations.
The address has commanded support and aroused sympathy from all Koreans and other people around the world. The public at home and abroad are hoping the situation on the Korean Peninsula is eased and the north-south ties are improved to open a new phase for reconciliation, peace and reunification.
But ill-boding provocative remarks are heard from south Korea from the outset of the New Year and powder-reeking war exercises are being waged, vitiating the hope-filled atmosphere at the beginning of the new year.
Despite the unanimous denunciation by the public at home and abroad, it was openly announced that huge Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises will be staged for months from the end of February. This has created such a deplorable situation in which huge aggression troops of the U.S. are deployed in areas close to the Military Demarcation Line.
The projected military exercises will reportedly activate huge transport planes, landing ships, high-speed landing boats, surface-effect ship and landing armored vehicles of the U.S. and the puppet army of south Korea as well as huge marine and air war means. To be involved in the drills are ill-famed U.S. third marine task force from Okinawa which will wage the second biggest landing drill after the 1989 Team Spirit joint military exercises.
The U.S. and puppet warmongers are claiming that the purpose of the drill is to take control of nuclear facilities in the north and occupy Pyongyang in case of “emergency in the north”
This is another serious military provocation against the DPRK and an outright challenge to the good faith of the DPRK and the public opinion at home and abroad.
We take special note of the fact that the announcement of the saber-rattling is timed to coincide with the new year press conference given by the chief executive of south Korea.
Outwardly, south Korea welcomed the New Year Address and said that it hopes for opening the first button through the reunions of separated families and relatives, providing a fresh occasion and shaping the framework for mending the south-north ties. But behind the scene it is planning to wage war exercises against its fellow countrymen. How can this be understood?
The prevailing situation proves that the south Korean chief executive made a lie and has an axe to grind.
The north-south ties have suffered greatly from the war drills that were repeatedly held in south Korea every year.
By straining the situation through such war drills as Key Resolve, Foal Eagle and Ulji Freedom Guardian from the outset of each year, they wasted away time, preventing anything favorable for improving the north-south ties from being achieved.
This is the history of the north-south ties.
What was gained were only escalated tension, increased danger of a war and stalemate in the north-south ties and extreme discord, antagonism and hostility between the fellow countrymen.
Such an evil cycle can never be allowed to go on any longer.
The present situation shows who truly stands for detente and peace on the Korean Peninsula and who pursues confrontation and war and who is a hypocrite, provoker standing in the way of improving the north-south relations.
The puppet forces are making extremely serious provocation like the DPRK-targeted war exercises together with outsiders. Yet, they are talking about “provocation” by someone. This is like a guilty party filing a suit first.
The U.S. and the puppet group, much upset by the disclosure of their bellicose nature and increasing voices of criticism, are claiming that those are “annual exercises for defense”. But they should know that such deceptive and shameless sophism will never work on anyone.
The recent announcement of the huge DPRK-targeted war drills by the U.S. and puppet warmongers is a total denial of the improvement of the north-south ties and dialog and is little short of the declaration of a total nuclear stand-off.
We sternly warn the U.S. and the south Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military exercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe.
They should clearly understand that the north-south ties will plunge into a deadlock and unimaginable holocaust and that disaster will follow should they go ahead with the nuclear war drills and make military provocation, defying our warning.
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