N. Korea ratchets up threats against S. Korea, US

Hwang Pyong-so, a top military aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, rides in an armored military vehicle during a river-crossing training exercise in this photo released by Rodong Sinmun on Jan. 27, 2015. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — North Korea on Tuesday intensified its propaganda campaign, coupled with war threats, against South Korea and the United States ahead of their annual joint defense drills.

Pyongyang’s mouthpieces carried stories putting the blame on Seoul for the failure to resume dialogue and warning of a war with Washington.

“A chance for dialogue or a diplomatic solution has been already lost. What is left is to respond militarily while strengthening deterrence to the maximum,” the Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary. The newspaper is published by the powerful Workers’ Party of Korea.

It was criticizing the allies for their plan to start the Key Resolve and the Foal Eagle exercises early next month. More than 8,600 American troops will join the eight-week drills, which the allies say are aimed at beefing up their defense capabilities.

The North reiterated that the exercises are clearly part of preparations for aggression.

In a separate commentary, the Rodong Sinmun also claimed that the South is responsible for continued tensions on the peninsula.

“It is none other than the South Korean authorities that are hell-bent on sycophancy toward the U.S. and the moves to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK while blatantly challenging its efforts for the improvement of the inter-Korean ties,” it read.

The South’s government is trying to shift the responsibility to the North for the failure to hold talks, thus misleading the public opinion, it added.

The Minju Joson, an organ of the Cabinet, took a direct swipe at President Park Geun-hye for her recent remarks that Pyongyang should move toward reform and opening.

It urged the Park administration to halt its “confrontational” policy to curry favor with Washington and take “substantive” measures to improve Seoul-Pyongyang ties.

The newspaper cited a set of economic sanctions, known as the May 24th Measure, the spread of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, and the anti-communist National Security Law.

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