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KCNA Commentary
The US reckless military moves that started at the very beginning of this year, gravely threatening the strategic stability in and around the Korean peninsula, are becoming more blatant even in the closing days of the year.
Recently the US and the ROK staged an anti-special operation naval drill in the waters near Phyongthaek, Kyonggi Province under the pretext of countering someone's "infiltration" by mobilizing a guided missile destroyer, anti-submarine helicopters, sea-patrol planes and other naval and air forces.
And the US has additionally deployed F-16 fighters to the Osan Air Base in Kyonggi Province, as part of the second-stage operational test of the "super-powerful wing", to intensify the joint operational capability.
The US is running amuck in its moves to increase the operational capability of two "super-powerful wings" it formed after forward-deploying F-16 fighters from the Kunsan Air Base in the ROK and the Misawa Air Base in Japan to the Osan Air Base only 64km from Seoul. It is an irrefutable fact that it is aimed at deterring the DPRK and regional countries by force and securing air superiority in contingency.
The US-ROK military drills and arms buildup targeting independent sovereign states in the region are not confined to the Korean peninsula.
According to the media, the US and the ROK launched the combined anti-submarine warfare exercises "Silent Shark" involving submarines and sea-patrol planes in the waters near Guam on Nov. 18 and the US marines set up the Forward Arming and Refueling Point on Yonagni Island, Japan, within hailing distance of the Taiwan Strait on Nov. 21.
Meanwhile, the US often talked about "freedom of navigation" is going to stage the "Proliferation Security Initiative" drill in the sea of Japan from early December, together with its vassal forces including Japan and the ROK, aimed at violating the legitimate right of other countries to navigate and realizing the complete sea blockade.
The US habitual and reckless military moves in disregard of the repeated concerns of the international community clearly indicate where the origin of the instability of the regional situation is and who is the performer of the "unilateral changes to status quo" advocated by it.
Through the military moves of the US and the ROK, the regional countries are correctly diagnosing the essence of the "improved relations with regional countries" and "stability of situation" that they call for externally.
The stereotyped expression of "regular drill" can never cover up the aggressive nature of the provocative acts with extreme belligerence and offensive nature and the fact that the US is just an evil factor fostering the possibility of armed conflict.
The US is the chieftain threatening the peace and stability and destroying the strategic security balance. This fact has already been settled as an absolute value in the perception of the independent sovereign states in the region.
It is the consistent principle and immutable stand of the DPRK to be prepared for countering the confrontation-oriented moves of the enemy states and any development of the situation that may result from them.
We have already made it clear that all threats encroaching upon our sphere of security will become direct targets of the DPRK and be managed in a necessary way.
The DPRK will further devote itself to defending its national sovereignty and interests and protecting the regional peace and stability through the exercise of its essential rights as the US continues to renew its record in the demonstration of its military strength threatening the regional countries.
Source: kcna.kp (2025.11.28.)
Grok AI assistant explains KCNA's perspective on US drills
From the perspective consistently expressed in KCNA commentaries (including the one you referenced), North Korea views US-led or US-supported military drills in and around the Korean Peninsula and the wider region as:
1) Directly targeted at the DPRK:
KCNA routinely describes exercises such as the US-ROK combined drills, "Silent Shark," Freedom Edge, or any large-scale air/armor/naval maneuvers as rehearsals for invasion, decapitation strikes, or "special operations" aimed at overthrowing the North Korean leadership and system.
2) The primary source of regional tension:
Pyongyang asserts that these drills, along with the forward deployment or rotation of US strategic assets (F-16s, F-35s, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, etc.), are the root cause of instability, not North Korea's own missile tests or nuclear development, which it portrays as legitimate self-defense responses.
3) Provocative and escalatory:
Any increase in the size, frequency, scope, or realism of the exercises (e.g., live-fire components, involvement of Japanese forces, or exercises near disputed waters) is labeled "reckless" and a deliberate heightening of military threat.
4) Hypocritical:
KCNA frequently contrasts US and South Korean claims of the drills being "defensive" or "routine" with what it calls their obvious offensive character, accusing Washington of double standards when it condemns DPRK tests while conducting far larger exercises itself.
5) Part of a broader US containment policy:
Drills in the Sea of Japan/East Sea, near Guam, or involving Japan (such as the Proliferation Security Initiative or Forward Arming and Refueling Points on Japanese territory) are framed as attempts to encircle and strategically suffocate not only North Korea but also China and sometimes Russia.
In short, KCNA’s core narrative is that US military drills are aggressive, premeditated acts of hostility that justify and necessitate the DPRK's own military countermeasures, including missile launches and nuclear development, which it insists would not be needed if the US ceased these "war rehearsals."