North Korea warns of ‘fiercer military’ response to US

North Korea’s foreign minister on Thursday warned of a “fiercer military” response to the U.S. and South Korea’s joint drills and activity on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui said a summit between President Biden and South Korean and Japanese leaders on Sunday, in which they condemned North Korea’s record number of missile tests this year, was making tensions on the peninsula “more unpredictable.”

“The keener the U.S. is on the ‘bolstered offer of extended deterrence’ to its allies and the more they intensify provocative and bluffing military activities on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, the fiercer military counteraction will be,” Choe said in a statement. “It will pose a more serious, realistic and inevitable threat to the U.S. and its vassal forces.”

North Korea on Thursday fired another short-range ballistic missile that landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, following the launch of dozens of missiles this year, including more than 20 fired in one day earlier this month.

Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have escalated to new heights this year following the missile launches and after the U.S. accused Pyongyang of shipping munitions to Russia for help in its war against Ukraine.

At the beginning of the month, North Korea warned of a “powerful” response to the U.S. should joint drills with South Korea continue.

The provocation was made following U.S.-South Korea air force drills dubbed Vigilant Storm, which involved more than 200 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets. The drills ended earlier this month.

U.S. and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear test, which would pave the way for equipping nuclear warheads on short-range missiles that could reach U.S. bases in South Korea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.