North Korea warns of 'catastrophe' if US-South Korea military drill goes ahead

Annual exercises provoke further threats from communist nation

A relief goods storage inside a subway station which is used as a shelter for emergency situation in Seoul, South Korea (Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters)

North Korea has warned that Washington and Seoul will cause a "catastrophe" by holding their annual joint military drill in the Korean Peninsula.

The US and South Korea claim the exercises are defensive, but North Korea has said they are a practice run for a nuclear war against it.

The military drills, set to take place on Monday, would "further drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula into catastrophe", the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The danger of a US-North Korean nuclear confrontation has escalated in recent weeks after Pyongyang's first successful tests of ballistic missiles capable of reaching America.

US President Donald Trump has traded threats with the communist government. Last week, the leader vowed to respond to North Korean aggression with “fire and fury.”

He also said a military solution was “locked and loaded” after reports the isolationist nation was planning on firing missiles into waters near the US Pacific island of Guam.

Associated Press contributed to this report