North Korea Piling Up Its Arms 'Because of US Nuclear Threat'

The annual US military exercises are held not only to train the country's armed forces, but to be able to deploy them at any time, the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote.

The nuclear threat from the United States is the main reason for the rapid build-up of North Korea's nuclear weapons, the newspaper reported.

In order to stabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula, Washington should abandon its military provocations, the article said.

"The Korean nation has been subject to indescribable suffering and pain for a long period of time and the relations between the DPRK and the United States deteriorated only because of the US large-scale aggressive military exercises targeting the DPRK," the article said.

The publication stressed that the US annual military exercises "cooled the desire of the Koreans to reunite and constitute an obstacle to the improvement of relations between North and South." North Korea itself "has made serious efforts"in order to reduce tensions and create a climate of peace on the Korean peninsula, the article said.

Washington has repeatedly carried out joint military exercises with South Korea. In response, Pyongyang sharply criticized the US activities, warning of the possibility to use its latest weapons, if the US does not give up its provocative steps.

According to the newspaper, the US military exercises  have been carried out not only for training purposes, but also in order to be able to deploy armed forces at any time.

"US military exercises directed against the DPRK should be stopped immediately, without any preconditions, in order to prevent war on the Korean Peninsula and ensure the world peace. This is the only way to create a peaceful climate in the region," the article said.

The Korean peninsula has been technically in a state of war since the military conflict between the two countries in 1950-1953 ended with the signing of an armistice, not a peace treaty. Relations between North Korea and South Korea further deteriorated in 2010 after the South Korean corvette "Cheonan" was allegedly sunk by a North Korean torpedo.