North Korea condemned on Saturday recent joint military drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, warning that it would take immediate actions if needed to defend the state. Last week, the three countries held a three-day joint exercise,

North Korea on Nov. 23 condemned the South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint military drill “Freedom Edge” and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, warning of dire consequences. In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency,

North Korea on Saturday strongly condemned the United States for conducting joint military drills and deploying military assets to the Korean Peninsula, warning that such actions could escalate into an actual war at any time.