Kathmandu. Pyongyang has threatened to retaliate with a “new level of deterrence” as the United States and South Korea prepare for upcoming joint military drills, drawing on the North Korean military’s experience gained from the Russia-Ukraine war.

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which begin on Monday, are one of the military drills held annually by the US and South Korea. The aim of the drills is to prepare the armies of both countries for a possible attack from nuclear-armed North Korea. Pyongyang has long opposed the drills, calling them a rehearsal for attacks against it.

North Korea tested a ballistic missile in the Sea of Japan this week. The test is seen as a sign of dissatisfaction with the upcoming joint military exercises.

In this year’s exercise, special importance has been given to training related to drones, cyber attacks and GPS jamming as well as capabilities used in modern warfare. The drills are aimed at enabling South Korean and US militaries to deploy new threats in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The United States aims to improve its combat capability based on new aspects of modern warfare and will be very different from the previous five years of the year,” a spokesman for the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

“Responding to a new threat with a new level of deterrence is our consistent principle of ensuring security,” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement. ”

North Korea has long been one of the world’s most isolated countries. But since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, military and strategic ties between Pyongyang and Moscow have become closer. Analysts say North Korea has sent its troops to Russia’s war in exchange for economic gains and support including military technology.

Earlier this week, Ukraine accused Russia of using ballistic missiles from North Korea. The Ukrainian side said at least nine people were killed and dozens wounded by the missiles. Kyiv has also said that there are about 50,000 North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia. However, it has not made public any evidence to support this claim.

Lessons learned from the war

Col. Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the U.S.-South Korean Joint Command, said this week’s deployment of North Korean troops in a European war changed the nature of the threat posed by these forces on the Korean Peninsula.

“They have returned to North Korea with the lessons they learned there. Our training addresses that threat,” he told reporters.

North Korea’s foreign ministry said the US-South Korean military drills would take place at a time when the military and political situation in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere in the world is “deteriorating”.

About 18,000 South Korean troops and 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea will take part in the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. The exercise is expected to test joint military readiness and command capability required in the event of a real war.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the language of the Foreign Ministry’s latest statement was “relatively restrained” despite warnings that North Korea would escalate tensions.

“The language isn’t particularly provocative or provocative. It’s very factual,” he told AFP. He said Pyongyang may be trying to keep open the possibility of dialogue or engagement with Washington in the future.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in 2019 after they failed to reach an agreement on denuclearization and lifting sanctions on North Korea. Since then, Pyongyang has portrayed itself as an “irreversible” nuclear power.

Meanwhile, North Korea fired two missiles in a row in the Pacific region, weeks after Japan pledged to rapidly expand its defense capabilities. Japan said the regional security environment was in a state of serious and urgent need to be addressed, and announced that it would step up its military preparedness.

But Victor Cha, the Korea chairman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to try to meet with US President Donald Trump again. He said that even as military tensions escalate, Pyongyang could leave some doors open for possible future talks with Washington.