N. Korea warns of 'highest' risk of clashes in 2024

K9 self-propelled howitzers of the 2nd Artillery Brigade take part in a live-fire exercise at a training ground in Hwacheon County, 89 kilometers northeast of Seoul, Jan. 2. Courtesy of South Korean Army

North Korea strongly denounced a series of military drills that South Korea has conducted in the new year, warning that chances of a clash between the two sides will be the highest this year.

The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the South began the new year with "self-destructive" acts, referring to Army artillery exercises, naval firing drills and other maneuvers that South Korea's military has recently conducted.

"There will be the highest risk of clashes this year, as invading forces, such as the United States and Japan, will crawl into the peninsula under the South Korean puppet group's plea and active cooperation and they will likely stage unprecedented provocative war moves such as a nuclear strike," the KCNA said.

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The report warned that South Korean "warmongers" will only face the "most painful moments they cannot even imagine" if they continue to stage confrontational moves against North Korea.

This week, the South Korean Army carried out artillery and live-fire drills and the Navy also conducted exercises involving warships and aircraft in a bid to strengthen its defense posture against North Korea's potential provocations.

At a year-end party meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two nations hostile to each other" and ordered preparations for "a great event to suppress the whole territory" of South Korea in the event of a contingency.