SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea’s overseas ministry on Sunday known as on the United Nations to demand a direct halt to mixed navy drills by the US and South Korea, saying they had been elevating tensions that threaten to spiral uncontrolled.

The drills and rhetoric from the allies are “irresponsibly elevating the extent of confrontation,” Kim Son Gyong, vice overseas minister for worldwide organisations, mentioned in an announcement carried by state information company KCNA.

America and South Korea will conduct greater than 10 days of large-scale navy workouts in March, together with amphibious landings, officers from the 2 international locations mentioned on Friday.

The U.S. and South Korea say the workouts are in self-defence and are essential to counter the rising threats from North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes, that are banned by U.N. Safety Council resolutions.

North Korea on Saturday blamed the US for what it mentioned was the collapse of worldwide arms management programs and mentioned Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons had been a simply response to make sure the stability of energy within the area.

The allies additionally carried out a mixed air drill with an American long-range bomber and South Korean fighter plane on Friday, and have been staging weeks of workouts for particular rations troops.

“The UN and the worldwide group should strongly urge the U.S. and South Korea to instantly halt their provocative remarks and joint navy workouts,” Kim mentioned.

It’s regrettable that the U.N. has been constantly silent on the workouts, which have a “clear aggressive nature,” he mentioned.

Final month Kim issued an announcement saying UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres has been “extraordinarily unfair, unbalanced” on North Korea’s missile exams.