North Korea calls South Korean military drills 'grave provocation'

North Korea lashed out at South Korea over recent military drills, state media reported on Friday.

A North Korean military representative said on Friday that recent South Korean military drills were a grave provocation that demanded a reaction, according to a statement carried by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“The recent drill served as an opportunity which awakened us once again to the obvious fact that the enemies remain enemies all the time,” the statement said.

North Korea cited a military exercise by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Air Combat Command on Wednesday, and said the drills violated inter-Korean agreements aimed at reducing military tensions.

“Everything is now going back to the starting point before the north-south summit meeting in 2018,” the statement said.

On Sunday, South Korea said North Korean troops fired multiple shots toward a South Korean guard post at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries.

South Korean troops responded by firing warning shots, but no casualties were reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the shots fired by North Korea were likely “accidental”.