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North Korea warned on Friday it could respond with “a new level of deterrent” to upcoming joint US-South Korea drills simulating battle against Pyongyang’s troops battle-hardened from deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The 11-day exercises due to begin on Monday are an annual fixture of the summer calendar, designed to prepare the United States and South Korea to defend against the nuclear-armed North.
Pyongyang regularly labels them rehearsals for an invasion and this week test-fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan, signalling its opposition to the exercises.
But this year’s drills are tailored to prepare soldiers to fight North Koreans with modern combat experience from the Russia-Ukraine theatre — including drone, cyber-attack and GPS jamming capabilities.
