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

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, North Korea, on Aug. 18, 2025. Independ

While inspecting the warship Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton-class destroyer first unveiled in April, Kim said the allies’ joint military drills show hostility and their supposed “will