PYONGYANG, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous in half a century since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Although the confrontation between the DPRK and the United States has long lasted, "the U.S. aggression hysteria has never reached such a height and the situation on the Korean Peninsula has never inched closer to the brink of war as in the period in recent (U.S.-South Korea) drills," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
The United States and South Korea have been holding joint military exercises since early March. The Pentagon has deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea and sent USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier task group to the waters off Korean Peninsula recently.
Moreover, the Trump administration says "all options are on the table" for solving the problem of the DPRK nuclear and missile programs, causing speculations here that the United States could stage military attacks against the DPRK at any time.
The spokesman said the situation on the Korean Peninsula proves once again that the United States is the "chieftain aggressor" and "harasser of peace, who is escalating tension."
He added that the DPRK was "right and far-sighted when it opted for bolstering its powerful nuclear deterrence for self-defense."
