North Korea has sent a stern warning to the united states of America against intercepting any of its test missiles, saying that doing that would amount to a declaration of war.
The sister of the North Korean leader known as Kim Yo Jong made the statement on Tuesday, citing a South Korean media report that said the united states had planned to shoot down Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) if they were test-launched towards the Pacific Ocean.
The united states and its neighbours have, however, never shot down a North Korean missile before. The North Korean country fires its missiles in a way that avoids other countries and has promised to keep carrying out its tests.
According to Kim Yo Jong, Pyongyang will regard any US military intervention against its strategic weapons tests as a "declaration of war," according to Kim Yo Jong.
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"The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominion of the US or Japan," she said.
Kim Yo Jong warned that North Korea would respond to the drills with "overwhelming" force.
"We keep our eye on the restless military moves by the US forces and the South Korean puppet military and are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment," she said.
North Korea's fiery rhetoric comes as the United States of america and South Korea recommenced and expanded joint military exercises after Pyongyang conducted a record number of missile launches last year.
On Monday, the United States sent a B-52 bomber to a joint drill with South Korean fighter jets in what the South Korean defence ministry described as a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
The Warrior Shield FTX exercises will include amphibious landings. They will take place alongside the Freedom Shield exercise, which is a computer-simulated command post training designed to improve defence and response capabilities.
