Moscow Says US-South Korean Drills Exacerbate Tensions With North

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is concerned about rising tensions in the Korean Peninsula following the resumption of field training by US and South Korean forces, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"We are concerned about the situation that has been developing in the Korean Peninsula after the resumption of full-scale joint military exercises between the US and South Korea and provocative airdrops of South Korean propaganda leaflets in North Korea caused tensions to rise," Maria Zakharova said.

She said any actions that alarmed Pyongyang were "counterproductive and dangerous" and urged the two Koreas to focus on dialogue without getting third parties involved. Russia and China have launched several initiatives in recent years to facilitate these negotiations, Zakharova said.

The United States and South Korea scaled back their annual exercises amid the pandemic and Seoul’s attempts to normalize ties with Pyongyang but new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said he wanted to dial up deterrence against the North.