North Korea threatens nuclear strike amid US-South Korea drill

By Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, CNN
Published 5:29 PM EDT, Mon August 22, 2016
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Story highlights

25,000 US troops will join South Korean forces for annual military drills

North Korea has made threats to retaliate with nuclear weapons if exercise exhibits "aggression"

(CNN) —  

The US and South Korean militaries started a massive joint annual exercise Monday, a drill that has drawn North Korean threats of nuclear retaliation.

North Korea will “turn the stronghold of provocation into a heap of ashes through Korean-style pre-emptive nuclear strike” if the US and South Korea “show the slightest sign of aggression” during the drill, a spokesman for North Korea’s military was quoted as saying by the country’s state media.

North Korea has a history of using creative language to express loathing for its enemies. Here are some of the regime
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
North Korea has a history of using creative language to express loathing for its enemies. Here are some of the regime's more colorful threats against the West. March 2016: North Korea warned it would make a "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang issued a long statement promising that "time will prove how the crime-woven history of the U.S. imperialists who have grown corpulent through aggression and war will come to an end and how the Park Geun Hye group's disgraceful remaining days will meet a miserable doom as it is keen on the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north."
March 2016: Following the imposition of strict U.N. sanctions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2016: Following the imposition of strict U.N. sanctions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country's "nuclear warheads need to be ready for use at any time," the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.
January 2016: North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a thermonuclear weapon, justifying its right to have an H-bomb on the grounds of "self defense."
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
January 2016: North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a thermonuclear weapon, justifying its right to have an H-bomb on the grounds of "self defense."
September 2015: In a statement, North Korea said its nuclear arsenal was ready for use "at any time."
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
September 2015: In a statement, North Korea said its nuclear arsenal was ready for use "at any time."
August 2015: As forces from the U.S. and South Korea took part in joint military drills. North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015: As forces from the U.S. and South Korea took part in joint military drills. North Korea's state media referred to the exercises, which started on August 17, as "madcap" and issued a stern warning to America: "If the U.S. ignites a war in the end, far from drawing a lesson taught by its bitter defeat in the history, the DPRK will bring an irrevocable disaster and disgrace to it."
PHOTO: Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images
August 2015: On August 23, as North Korean negotiators were meeting with their South Korean counterparts over current tensions, a KCTV presenter appeared on air repeating North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015: On August 23, as North Korean negotiators were meeting with their South Korean counterparts over current tensions, a KCTV presenter appeared on air repeating North Korea's ambitions to "destroy the warmongering South Korean puppet military."
PHOTO: KCTV
December 2014: The FBI said it suspected North Korea was behind a hack of Sony Entertainment, which led executives to initially cancel the theatrical release of "The Interview." The film was a comedy about an American television personality who the CIA asks to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea threatened "merciless" action against the U.S. if the film was released, accusing the U.S. of retaliating for the hack by shutting down North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
December 2014: The FBI said it suspected North Korea was behind a hack of Sony Entertainment, which led executives to initially cancel the theatrical release of "The Interview." The film was a comedy about an American television personality who the CIA asks to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea threatened "merciless" action against the U.S. if the film was released, accusing the U.S. of retaliating for the hack by shutting down North Korea's Internet access. North Korea's National Defense Commission also called U.S. President Barack Obama "reckless" and a "monkey."
PHOTO: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images
July 2014: North Korea threatens to hit the White House and Pentagon with nuclear weapons. American "imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival," North Korean officials reportedly said after the country accused the U.S. of increasing hostilities on the border with South Korea. "Our troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the Pentagon -- the sources of all evil," North Korean Gen. Hwang Pyong-So said, according to The Telegraph.
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
July 2014: North Korea threatens to hit the White House and Pentagon with nuclear weapons. American "imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival," North Korean officials reportedly said after the country accused the U.S. of increasing hostilities on the border with South Korea. "Our troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the Pentagon -- the sources of all evil," North Korean Gen. Hwang Pyong-So said, according to The Telegraph.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
March 2013: Angered by tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, the Supreme Command of North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2013: Angered by tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, the Supreme Command of North Korea's military vowed to put "on highest alert" the country's "rocket units" that are assigned to strike "U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S. mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the Pacific." Whether Pyongyang has the will to back up such doomsday talk is a perplexing question, but there is evidence that its know-how -- in terms of uranium enrichment, nuclear testing and missile technology -- is progressing.
PHOTO: NORTH KOREAN TV/AFP/Getty Images
February 2013: In a message to the United States and South Korea, North Korea vowed "miserable destruction" if "your side ignites a war of aggression by staging reckless joint military exercises."
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
February 2013: In a message to the United States and South Korea, North Korea vowed "miserable destruction" if "your side ignites a war of aggression by staging reckless joint military exercises."
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
June 2012: Once again, North Korea vowed to be "merciless" in its promised attack on the United States, this time threatening a "sacred war" as it aimed artillery at South Korean media groups. North Korea was mad that South Korean journalists had criticized Pyongyang children
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
June 2012: Once again, North Korea vowed to be "merciless" in its promised attack on the United States, this time threatening a "sacred war" as it aimed artillery at South Korean media groups. North Korea was mad that South Korean journalists had criticized Pyongyang children's festivals meant to foster allegiance to the Kim family.
PHOTO: STringer/AFP/Getty Images
April 2012: North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
April 2012: North Korea's state-run news agency reported that "the moment of explosion is approaching fast" and promised "merciless" strikes against the United States. "The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation," it said. Later that month, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. The launch came during preparations for a grand party that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
November 2011: North Korea
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
November 2011: North Korea's military threatened to turn the capital of South Korea into a "sea of fire," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.
PHOTO: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images
2009: After the U.S. pledge to give nuclear defense to South Korea, Pyongyang threatened a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2009: After the U.S. pledge to give nuclear defense to South Korea, Pyongyang threatened a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."
PHOTO: KCNA/Xinhua/Landov
2002: U.S. President George W. Bush includes North Korea in an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq, which North Korea brushes off as a "little short of a declaration of war." North Korea reportedly threatened to "wipe out the aggressors." That year, North Korea also threatened to kick out international inspectors who were in the country to monitor its compliance with global nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2002: U.S. President George W. Bush includes North Korea in an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq, which North Korea brushes off as a "little short of a declaration of war." North Korea reportedly threatened to "wipe out the aggressors." That year, North Korea also threatened to kick out international inspectors who were in the country to monitor its compliance with global nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images

North Korean forces are “ready to mount a pre-emptive retaliatory strike at all enemy attack groups involved in Ulchi Freedom Guardian,” he said, referring to the exercise by its official name.

The exercise takes place almost exactly one year after North Korean troops shelled South Korean territory and only days after South Korea welcomed the highest-ranking North Korean official defector in decades.

That defection, of Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador to the UK, caused North Korea to issue a statement calling the diplomat a criminal, with South Korean officials expressing concerns that North Korea might dispatch assassination squads to eliminate potential defectors abroad.

The annual drill will include 25,000 US troops, the bulk of which are already stationed in Korea, according to a statement by US Forces Korea. The purpose of the exercise is to “enhance Alliance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean peninsula,” the statement said.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye responded to Pyongyang’s threats by saying, “The North Korean regime has been continuously suppressing its people by its reign of terror while ignoring the livelihood of its people.”

CNN is given exclusive access to a training drill underground. Four members of the 23rd Chemical Battalion, the largest chemical unit in the U.S. military, enter an underground facility once used to store nuclear weapons.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
CNN is given exclusive access to a training drill underground. Four members of the 23rd Chemical Battalion, the largest chemical unit in the U.S. military, enter an underground facility once used to store nuclear weapons.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
Troops from the 23rd Chemical Battalion suit up in protective gear ahead of the drill.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
Troops from the 23rd Chemical Battalion suit up in protective gear ahead of the drill.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
The team surveys the underground facility suspected of being used to store nuclear weapons. The 23rd Chemical Battalion is the first line of defense against chemical, biological or nuclear attack from North Korea.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
The team surveys the underground facility suspected of being used to store nuclear weapons. The 23rd Chemical Battalion is the first line of defense against chemical, biological or nuclear attack from North Korea.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
A remote-controlled robot is deployed to the suspected site to monitor radiation levels and chemical agents.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
A remote-controlled robot is deployed to the suspected site to monitor radiation levels and chemical agents.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
Suited in "Level B" protective suits, chemical resistant boots and gas masks attached to oxygen tanks on their backs, the team takes no chances.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
Suited in "Level B" protective suits, chemical resistant boots and gas masks attached to oxygen tanks on their backs, the team takes no chances.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
The scenario is staged but based on reality. "We take into account the newest intelligence to tailor our training to ensure we
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
The scenario is staged but based on reality. "We take into account the newest intelligence to tailor our training to ensure we're ready for anything that they could possibly have or use on the battlefield," says Lt. Col. Hilburgh.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
Members of the battalion survey the underground facility. Many of North Korea
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
Members of the battalion survey the underground facility. Many of North Korea's nuclear and chemical facilities are believed to be below ground, out of sight of satellites.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN
Soldiers test samples collected in the drill at a temporary field lab.
Photos: How South Korea defends against nuclear North
Soldiers test samples collected in the drill at a temporary field lab.
PHOTO: K.J. Kwon/CNN

She added that the South would “prepare” for any possible North Korean provocations, in comments at a National Security Council meeting on Monday.

North Korea’s threats come amid new concerns over the increased sophistication of that country’s nuclear and missile programs.

“North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are direct and realistic,” Park added.

A US official told CNN earlier this month that the regime’s aggressive testing of medium- and long-range missiles – as well as its nuclear testing – makes North Korea now a “practical” threat and no longer a “theoretical” threat.

“We obviously watch the situation very closely,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Monday.

“It is an annual exercise. We have seen the rhetoric from North Korea, we have seen that rhetoric in the past, and of course we would urge the North Koreans to do what they can to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” Cook said. “That is certainly something we would welcome.”

Victor Cha, the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told CNN that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is engaging in “much more aggressive” and “much more provocative” behavior than his predecessor and father, Kim Jong Il.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with North Korea
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with North Korea's first female fighter jet pilots in this undated photo released by the country's state media on Monday, June 22. He called the women "heroes of Korea" and "flowers of the sky."
PHOTO: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim stands on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in North Korea in a photo taken by North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun on April 18 and released the next day by South Korean news agency Yonhap. Kim scaled the country
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim stands on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in North Korea in a photo taken by North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun on April 18 and released the next day by South Korean news agency Yonhap. Kim scaled the country's highest mountain, North Korean state-run media reported, arriving at the summit to tell soldiers that the hike provides mental energy more powerful than nuclear weapons.
PHOTO: KCNA via KNS/afp/getty images
Kim Jong Un, center, poses with soldiers on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in an April 18 photo released by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim Jong Un, center, poses with soldiers on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in an April 18 photo released by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
PHOTO: Rodong Sinmun/YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images
Kim visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 15 to celebrate the 103rd birth anniversary of his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 15 to celebrate the 103rd birth anniversary of his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
PHOTO: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim inspects a drill for seizing an island at an undisclosed location in North Korea in an undated picture released by North Korea
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim inspects a drill for seizing an island at an undisclosed location in North Korea in an undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on February 21.
PHOTO: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Imges
Kim speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released February 19 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
PHOTO: KCNA/XINHUA/LANDOV
A picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appearing without his cane at an event with military commanders in Pyongyang on Tuesday, November 4. Kim, who recently disappeared from public view for about six weeks, had a cyst removed from his right ankle, a lawmaker told CNN.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appearing without his cane at an event with military commanders in Pyongyang on Tuesday, November 4. Kim, who recently disappeared from public view for about six weeks, had a cyst removed from his right ankle, a lawmaker told CNN.
PHOTO: KCNA/EPA/LANDOV
Kim is seen walking with a cane in this image released Thursday, October 30, by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim is seen walking with a cane in this image released Thursday, October 30, by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
PHOTO: KCNA
Kim sits in the pilot
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim sits in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet during the inspection.
PHOTO: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Images
This undated photo, released Tuesday, October 14, by the KCNA, shows Kim inspecting a housing complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. International speculation about Kim went into overdrive after he failed to attend events on Friday, October 10, the 65th anniversary of the Workers
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
This undated photo, released Tuesday, October 14, by the KCNA, shows Kim inspecting a housing complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. International speculation about Kim went into overdrive after he failed to attend events on Friday, October 10, the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party. He hadn't been seen in public since he reportedly attended a concert with his wife on September 3.
PHOTO: KCNA /KNS REPUBLIC OF KOREA/AFP/Getty Images
A picture released by the KCNA shows Kim and his wife watching a performance by the Moranbong Band on Wednesday, September 3, in Pyongyang.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A picture released by the KCNA shows Kim and his wife watching a performance by the Moranbong Band on Wednesday, September 3, in Pyongyang.
PHOTO: EPA/KCNA /LANDOV
Kim tours a front-line military unit in this image released Wednesday, July 16, by the KCNA.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim tours a front-line military unit in this image released Wednesday, July 16, by the KCNA.
PHOTO: KCNA/EPA/LANDOV
Kim poses for a photo as he oversees a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim poses for a photo as he oversees a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.
PHOTO: KCNA/XINHUA/LANDOV
Kim watches a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim watches a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.
PHOTO: KCNA/XINHUA/LANDOV
A North Korean soldier patrols the bank of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, on Saturday, April 26.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A North Korean soldier patrols the bank of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, on Saturday, April 26.
PHOTO: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
In this photo released Thursday, April 24, by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim smiles with female soldiers after inspecting a rocket-launching drill at an undisclosed location.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
In this photo released Thursday, April 24, by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim smiles with female soldiers after inspecting a rocket-launching drill at an undisclosed location.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
A picture released Tuesday, March 18, by the KCNA shows Kim attending a shooting practice at a military academy in Pyongyang.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A picture released Tuesday, March 18, by the KCNA shows Kim attending a shooting practice at a military academy in Pyongyang.
PHOTO: KCNA/epa/LANDOV
A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War.
PHOTO: Shin Jun-hee/yonhap/ap
A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the banks of the Yalu River on Tuesday, February 4.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the banks of the Yalu River on Tuesday, February 4.
PHOTO: JACKY CHEN/reuters/LANDOV
A photo released by the KCNA on Thursday, January 23, shows the North Korean leader inspecting an army unit during a winter drill.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A photo released by the KCNA on Thursday, January 23, shows the North Korean leader inspecting an army unit during a winter drill.
PHOTO: KCNA/epa/LANDOV
Kim inspects the command of an army unit in this undated photo released Sunday, January 12, by the KCNA.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim inspects the command of an army unit in this undated photo released Sunday, January 12, by the KCNA.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim visits an army unit in this undated photo.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim visits an army unit in this undated photo.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the KCNA in May 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the KCNA in May 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim visits the Ministry of People
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim visits the Ministry of People's Security in 2013 as part of the country's May Day celebrations.
PHOTO: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier, near Sinuiju, gestures to stop photographers from taking photos in April 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A North Korean soldier, near Sinuiju, gestures to stop photographers from taking photos in April 2013.
PHOTO: HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA/LANDOV
North Korean soldiers patrol near the Yalu River in April 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
North Korean soldiers patrol near the Yalu River in April 2013.
PHOTO: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Kim is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."
PHOTO: The Rodong Sinmun
Kim works during a briefing in this undated photo.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim works during a briefing in this undated photo.
PHOTO: The Rodong Sinmun
In this KCNA photo, Kim inspects naval drills at an undisclosed location on North Korea
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
In this KCNA photo, Kim inspects naval drills at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim, with North Korean soldiers, makes his way to an observation post in March 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim, with North Korean soldiers, makes his way to an observation post in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment, near South Korea
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment, near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim is greeted by a soldier
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim is greeted by a soldier's family as he inspects the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment, also near Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment, also near Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location in March 2013.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location in March 2013.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
In a photo released by the official North Korean news agency in December 2012, Kim celebrates a rocket
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
In a photo released by the official North Korean news agency in December 2012, Kim celebrates a rocket's launch with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang.
PHOTO: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim, center, poses in this undated picture released by North Korea
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim, center, poses in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency in November 2012.
PHOTO: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Kim visits the Rungna People
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
Kim visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released in July 2012 by the KCNA.
PHOTO: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/GettyImages
A crowd watches as statues of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A crowd watches as statues of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. Here, the UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. Here, the UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
PHOTO: Scott Clotworthy/CNN
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
PHOTO: Scott Clotworthy/CNN
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between the Pyongyang and North Pyongan provinces in April 2012.
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between the Pyongyang and North Pyongan provinces in April 2012.
PHOTO: PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang
Photos: Kim Jong Un y el ejército de Corea del Norte
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport in May 2001.
PHOTO: STEPHEN SHAVER/AFP/Getty Images

“We always see North Korea threatening during US-(South Korea) annual military exercises” he said, adding that North Korea does “often provoke around the time of these exercises.”

But Cha noted a few differences this time around, including the fallout from “a very embarrassing high-level defection” and North Korea’s desire to try to gain leverage amid the upcoming US presidential elections.

“North Korea has a propensity to try and capture everyone’s attention,” Cha said.

The US military has also been beefing up its presence in the region, jointly deploying three strategic bombers, the B-52 Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit, to the region for the first time.

When asked if the US was concerned about the increase is hostile rhetoric out of Pyongyang, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner answered, “There is always concern, but I don’t think that is going to keep us from moving forward.”

CNN’s KJ Kwon contributed to this report.