▲ South Korean and U.S. warships participate in the Freedom Edge exercise in international waters south of Jeju Island on Sept. 16, 2025, in this file photo provided by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The North Korean defense minister strongly denounced the Freedom Edge exercise involving South Korea, the United States and Japan currently under way, vowing to take "reflective countermeasures," Pyongyang's official media outlet reported Monday.

North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song-gi released the statement through the Korean Central News Agency, noting the exercise poses a security threat that pushes the "instability on the Korean peninsula and beyond the region to the limit."

"If the U.S. and its allies attempt to provoke a new military confrontation with the DPRK, the latter will take strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power," Kim added, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan began the five-day joint military exercise on the day, proceeding on schedule even as key Seoul-Washington drills were recently scaled back upon U.S. President Donald Trump's order.

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