DPRK Warns US of 'Playing with Fire' After Strategic Bombers Deployed in Korean Peninsula

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea lashed out Sunday at the United States for deploying two strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula to participate in military drills, describing the move as a "provocation" that could lead to the outbreak of a nuclear war.

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"The U.S. saying it will regularly deploy strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula is the same as a crazy act of playing (with) fire on top of an ammunition locker," said an editorial piece in Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper and official publication of the Workers' Party of Korea. "A simple misjudgment or mistake may lead to the outbreak of a nuclear war and that, in turn, is sure to lead to a new world war," it added.

The two B-1B Lancer long-range bombers were deployed Saturday to the peninsula to carry out precision strike drills alongside F-15 and F-16 fighter jets from South Korea in the latest move against the DPRK following its successful test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The strategic bombers flew over the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, and approached the border that separates the two Korean states. They were then joined by the South Korean fighter jets in the eastern province of Gangwon to conduct drills simulating an attack on key DPRK facilities, a South Korean spokesperson said. The live-fire exercise included the launch of several guided missiles and a considerable deployment of their naval and air forces

The article also cited the DPRK's sovereign right to improve and test its weapon capabilities as "legitimate and justified measures" amid increasing "threats of nuclear war" against Pyongyang by Washington.

“If the U.S. imperialists dare provoke a war against the DPRK, they will have to face those of faith who (can) never compromise with aggressors and are full of resolute will to declare destruction to the U.S. imperialism,” the newspaper stated in a separate editorial.

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While Washington has accused the DPRK of heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula through its weapon tests, regional powers like Russia and China have called on the U.S. and its allies to refrain from exerting one-sided pressure on DPRK through large-scale joint military exercises that threaten to exacerbate the ongoing crisis.

Last Tuesday, Moscow and Beijing issued a joint statement published urging members of the world community to support its efforts to arrive at a resolution of the crisis.

"The parties suggest that North Korea should declare a moratorium on nuclear tests and ballistic missile tests as a voluntary political decision, while the U.S. and South Korea should refrain from holding large-scale joint military exercises," the foreign ministries urged, adding that principles of the non-use of force and a renunciation of aggression should be embraced. The two countries also called on Washington and Seoul to reverse the deployment of the controversial U.S. missile shield known as Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, which China sees as a major threat to its security.

Analysts and regional figures have warned that the Trump administration’s attempts to pressure the DPRK through military threats and displays of force alone can't solve the crisis, which can only be defused through dialogue and consultation.