North Korean defence minister criticises joint military drills by US, Japan and South Korea

North Korea’s newly appointed defence minister, Kim Song-gi, has called joint military drills by South Korea, Japan and ​the US a provocation, state media KCNA reported on Monday (Sept 7).Kim also vowed to take “strong and reflective countermeasures” if the US and its allies sought a new military confrontation in a statement carried by KCNA.South Korea, the US and Japan began their annual “Freedom Edge” exercise on Monday in international waters southeast and south of Jeju Island, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.The trilateral exercise comes after US President ​Donald Trump scaled back a major joint exercise with ‌South ⁠Korea last month.[[nid:743766]]