N. Korea threatens to use nukes against S. Korean-U.S. joint naval drills: KCNA

North Korea Saturday threatened to counter with nuclear weapons the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States in the East Sea on Sunday.

"The army and people of the DPRK will legitimately counter with their powerful nuclear deterrence the largest-ever nuclear war exercises to be staged by the U.S. and the South Korean puppet forces," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing a statement issued by the North's powerful National Defense Commission. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea and the U.S. will conduct the naval drills in the East Sea for four days as the first in a series of exercises scheduled for the coming month in the Yellow and East seas to show joint deterrence against North Korea's torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan.

Read more