North Korea criticizes South Korea's participation in US-led maritime exercise

North Korean state media has strongly criticized South Korea's participation in the recent Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), calling Seoul a "puppet" and warning of potential "unpredictable escalation" in the region. The comments, issued by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), came after South Korea's navy led maritime forces for the first time in the world's largest international maritime exercise, which involved approximately 30 countries.

KCNA characterized RIMPAC not as a routine drill but as a "war demonstration" by the United States and its allies aimed at countries in the Indo-Pacific. The outlet also criticized a joint Washington-Seoul Marine Corps exercise that simulated "deep infiltration into enemy rear areas." This rhetoric from North Korea follows its recent emphasis on modernizing its naval capabilities, including leader Kim Jong Un observing the launch of a strategic cruise missile and weapons system tests aboard the new 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon.

This marks the first time in over a year that North Korea has used the term "puppet" to refer to Seoul, having previously done so in April 2025 after an incident involving detached aircraft equipment during a training exercise. The KCNA statement suggested that current actions by the US and its allies foreshadow the possibility of "unwanted situations" on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider region.