North Korea renewed its criticism of the ongoing South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield exercise on Wednesday, citing the South Korean Air Force’s recent accidental bombing of a civilian area near the inter-Korean frontier.
Referring to the mishap as an “evil presage,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) warned in an English-language commentary piece that the incident “merits attention.”
![South Korean troops train in a bunker simulating a North Korean weapons of mass destruction facility at a training ground in Yangju, Gyeonggi on March 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/0312-North.jpg)
The report labeled the Freedom Shield exercise, an annual springtime combined military drill between Seoul and Washington held this year from Monday for an 11-day run, as “nuclear war rehearsals.”
It also claimed the drill was the “root cause” of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and must “stop at once.”
The incident referenced by North Korea occurred on March 6 in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, during a South Korea-U.S. combined live-fire exercise in which an Air Force pilot mistakenly entered the wrong target coordinates. As a result, eight MK-82 bombs were dropped around 10 kilometers off target, landing near civilian homes and injuring 31 people, including 19 civilians.
Pyongyang Escalates Rhetoric, Warns of Conflict Over Botched Bombing
While North Korea’s Korean Central Television (KCTV) initially reported the event two days later in a factual tone, Pyongyang escalated its rhetoric, framing the botched bombing as a potential cross-border incident and warning that the joint military drills increase the risk of an armed clash.
“The case occurred near the southern border of the DPRK on the eve of the large-scale joint military exercises simulating a total war against the DPRK,” the KCNA wrote, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Citing the New York Times and South Korean media for emphasis, it added, “There is no need to explain how the situation would have developed if a bomb had been dropped towards the north a little further to cross the border of the DPRK.”
The commentary asserted that an “accidental spark” could “plunge the Korean Peninsula, the region and the rest of the world into a new armed conflict.”
North Korea also threatened “merciless action without warning” if necessary, and if a similar incident were to happen again, Seoul and Washington “will have no time enough to excuse themselves.”
Experts Warn of Heightened North Korean Military Posture
With military tensions rising along the inter-Korean border, experts warn that North Korea’s latest remarks should not be underestimated.
“North Korea is emphasizing that accidental clashes between the two Koreas are its biggest concern, which marks a shift from its past statements,” said Prof. Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
He also said that Pyongyang’s “merciless action” warning signals a more aggressive military posture.
“They are making it clear that if an incident occurs, there will be no warning and just merciless action, which shows their heightened state of military readiness and its willingness to respond forcefully to any perceived threat,” Lim said.
Furthermore, North Korea ruled out any negotiation or justification in the event of a conflict, a threat Lim said should be “taken seriously.”
BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
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