Pyongyang regularly criticizes such drills as rehearsals for invasion and sometimes responds with weapons tests, but Seoul and Washington say they are purely defensive.

By bno - Taipei Office With the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung in earlyJune 2025, South Korea has pivoted sharply away from the confrontational posture of its predecessor towards a strategy that blends firm deterrence with a more hopeful take on diplomacy with the North.

North Korea’s leader threatens to speed up Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal expansion over a sign of ‘hostile intent’.