N. Korea slams US military drill as a 'nuclear war exercise'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes an appearance at a construction site in the city of Samjiyon, Ryanggang Province, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

North Korea on Wednesday slammed the United States for its ongoing nuclear command training exercise, calling it a nuclear war drill targeting the entire world.

Global Thunder, led by the US Strategic Command, is an annual command military exercise that provides training opportunities, with a specific focus on nuclear readiness. The exercise, which kicked off on Nov. 1, involves a number of countries, including South Korea.

In a commentary posted on its website, the North's foreign ministry said Global Thunder is "clearly an exercise for nuclear war against the entire world."

Pyongyang also called Washington a "nuclear war criminal nation" and stated that it was the only country in the world to have used atomic warheads against humanity. It also urged the US to stop engaging what it called "reckless behavior" of pushing countries into an arena of nuclear confrontation.

The North also suggested that the annual drill posed a risk of a nuclear war breakout, casting a rhetorical question of whether anyone could guarantee that Global Thunder will not lead to a war. (Yonhap)