North Korea has strongly condemned upcoming joint military drills involving the United States, South Korea, and Japan, warning that the exercises threaten regional stability and could trigger severe countermeasures.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Seoul will launch two simultaneous drills on Monday: Freedom Edge, a large-scale trilateral multi-domain exercise with Washington and Tokyo, and Iron Mace, a tabletop simulation focused on nuclear-attack responses with the US.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), criticized the exercises as provocative, calling the recently drafted “Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula” a dangerous escalation. She said the drills demonstrate a confrontational policy and warned they would have “inevitable bad results” for those involved.

Pak Jong Chon, vice chairman of the WPK’s Central Military Commission, described Iron Mace as a “nuclear war rehearsal” and labeled Freedom Edge the most aggressive drill to date in scale and intent. He warned the three allies’ actions undermine regional security and increase the risk of military confrontation.

North Korea has repeatedly vowed never to give up its nuclear arsenal, declaring itself an “irreversible nuclear state” since the collapse of denuclearization talks with the US in 2019. Analysts say Pyongyang feels emboldened by the war in Ukraine, which has deepened its strategic ties with Russia.

Last year, North Korean troops reportedly joined Russian forces in Ukraine, and Moscow and Pyongyang signed a mutual defense pact during President Vladimir Putin’s visit. With North Korea leaning on Russian backing, observers warn that continued US-South Korea-Japan drills may only harden Pyongyang’s stance and escalate tensions in the region.