SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Friday the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States were pushing the peninsula to "the brink of war" with their plan to conduct large-scale military drills, days after the rival Koreas exchanged artillery fire.

"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the reckless plan of those trigger-happy elements to stage again war exercises targeted against the (DPRK)," the DPRK's official KCNA news agency said. 

The United States is sending in naval ships, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, to the Yellow Sea for military exercises with the ROK navy.

"The exercises will be held on Sunday as planned and the George Washington is on its way here to arrive on Sunday," said a spokesman for US Forces in ROK.