North Korea warns against military drills after Olympics

In a letter to the United Nations

North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho is warning the US that its deployment of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and planned military exercises immediately after the Winter Olympics threatens improving relations between the two Koreas.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ri urged the chief to exert efforts to halt the US deployment of equipment and the upcoming military maneuvers as he he believes that they are aimed “to provoke a nuclear war, which will undermine the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the easing of tensions.”

Ri has further warned that if the US goes ahead with delayed military exercises with South Korea after the Winter Olympics, it will not “sit idle”.

The North’s state media has reportedly said that the US is attempting to create a “stage of confrontation” at the Olympics, saying inter-Korean talks and positive results that have stemmed from them could “disappear” after the Games.

Nearly 3,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators per day are expected to converge on the area around Pyeongchang, 50 miles from the North Korean border, for the Winter Games.