DPRK says it's prepared for dialogue, war

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) says it is fully ready for dialogue and war with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States, the official news agency KCNA reported Monday.

A foreign ministry spokesman made the remarks in a statement to criticize the ongoing US-ROK joint military drills, which the statement said have escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula, according to the KCNA.

The Key Resolve exercise began Monday and will continue until March 9. The maneuvers involve about 200,000 ROK troops and 2,100 US troops.

About 800 more US participants will come from outside ROK, ROK's Yonhap news agency reported, citing the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.

In addition, the Foal Eagle drill is scheduled from March 1 to April 30. The exercise will include about 11,000 US forces plus ROK's troops in division-sized or smaller units, officials said.

The US attempts not only to stifle the DPRK but also to put its neighboring countries under military siege and contain them to realize its ambition of world domination, the spokesman said.

War has never been notified in advance, he said, adding the DPRK has long kept in anticipation of the situation as now.

It would be a mistake if one tries to rattle or test the DPRK by force, the spokesman stressed.

The DPRK National Defense Commission said Saturday that the DPRK army and people will foil the enemies' moves with a war of their own style that will sweep them away with "strong striking means unknown to the world."