(VOVworld) – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday urged the republic of Korea not to repeat annual military exercises with the US, which have driven north-south relations into the "worst phase".

Soldiers of the US-the ROK are joining an anti-terrorist manoeuvres in the Guryong tunnel in Seoul on August 18th. (Photo: Xinua/VNA)

The official KCNA news agency quoted a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying that the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) joint military exercise was "the most dangerous nuclear war maneuver for invading the north, to which the tailored deterrence strategy aimed to make a preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK was applied for the first time.

The statement said the US-South Korea combined military drills disturb the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and hinder the improvement of inter-Korean ties. Pyongyang also asked Seoul authorities to clarify their stance on whether to opt for dialogue or confrontation. The statement was made amidst the context the Republic of Korea and the US on Thursday ended the UFG exercise, a day earlier than scheduled.